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Statisticians Warn Of "Systemic Mainstream Misinformation" In Poll Data
zerohedge.com ^ | Oct 16, 2016

Posted on 10/16/2016 7:29:54 PM PDT by Helicondelta

If you recently glanced at the polls and the election markets, then you would be forgiven to believe that a landslide election is looming. It's likely not, and the spreads have the potential to revert in surprising ways between now and Election Day. The drumbeat of negative news against Donald Trump may not cause further damage. We've discussed numerously, starting on October 11 and 12, that Hillary Clinton's runaway spread would revert.

...

In historical polling data people tend to make up their mind for candidates, and rarely does it lead to further subtractions from current polling levels. It is doubtful therefore that somehow any new negative information about Donald would compel someone, at long last in these final weeks, to ultimately switch allegiances. And while the theory of poll of polls works great to reduce the variance of errors, it does nothing to counter any systematic errors we may see hurtling through in the current election cycle. This is a significant lesson that remains lost among political hacks keen to simply analyze the data.

Another note is that you should be wary of taking too seriously the political advice of people who so recently badly errored in the Primary elections! This is not to cast a spotlight on any one individual, since the entire field of data journalism just saw a catastrophic result over the past year. But it's clear from the polling and the prediction betting market levels that the grave lessons from the past have not yet been learned. This summer's Brexit vote was just another example of election-eve overconfidence by pollsters and bookies. But stateside we do see the promotion of false confidence on preposterous polling statistics. The media ratings pursuit must inherent some blame, since news demands easily digestible insight that crookedly beguiles their patrons.

(Excerpt) Read more at zerohedge.com ...


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1 posted on 10/16/2016 7:29:54 PM PDT by Helicondelta
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To: Helicondelta

It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.


2 posted on 10/16/2016 7:35:43 PM PDT by Graybeard58 (Bill and Hillary Clinton are the penicillin-resistant syphilis of our political system.)
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To: Helicondelta

Polls no longer assess opinion. They are used to drive opinion.


3 posted on 10/16/2016 7:39:52 PM PDT by Personal Responsibility (We need a separation of press and state!)
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To: Helicondelta

In my mind this will all hinge on just how FED UP the country is with the current leadership direction. If the country is unhappy and they see Hillary as a continuation of the same policies, Trump wins.


4 posted on 10/16/2016 7:39:59 PM PDT by teletech
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To: Helicondelta

Polls are psy-ops. Why would anyone on FR trust anything from these sources - WSJ, NBC, ABC, CNN, WaPo, NYT, etc?

If they said it was raining outside I’d go out and check.


5 posted on 10/16/2016 7:42:36 PM PDT by bigbob (The Hillary indictment will have to come from us.)
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To: bigbob

You forgot the Ailes-less Faux News.


6 posted on 10/16/2016 7:44:02 PM PDT by Thickman (Obama - Professor of the United States)
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To: Helicondelta

My job is Big Data Architecture/Analytics. I am Post graduate in Statistics and Mathematics with Operation Research. Have half dozen patents in my field. I have experience in analysis of Primary election polling data

Its difficult to guess from these polls. Couple of information is missing.
e.g. How many refused to answer. % is needed What percentage responded ?

Sample gathering is more important than analysis. I can give multiple predictions for same set of data.

Currently, I can say, some set back in Trump momentum. Now his numbers are stable. 3 weeks are long time in politics.


7 posted on 10/16/2016 7:46:08 PM PDT by jennychase
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To: Helicondelta

The Polls Are Always Right!

! !

HISTORY
PROVES
IT!

</sarcasm>


8 posted on 10/16/2016 7:46:45 PM PDT by Fiddlstix (Warning! This Is A Subliminal Tagline! Read it at your own risk!(Presented by TagLines R US))
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To: Thickman
Noted. And bear in mind that Rupert Murdock, who hates Trump, owns both Fox News and the WSJ.


9 posted on 10/16/2016 7:47:01 PM PDT by bigbob (The Hillary indictment will have to come from us.)
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To: Helicondelta

The two best polling agencies in the 2012 election both have trump and Hillary tied— Trump up slightly.. I have gotten into the prediction marking you get 5-1 odds right now..


10 posted on 10/16/2016 7:48:32 PM PDT by freespirit2012
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To: Helicondelta

11 posted on 10/16/2016 7:48:59 PM PDT by Antoninus ("The Western world has lost its civil courage, both as a whole and separately." -Solzhenitsyn)
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To: freespirit2012

even if he does not win.. those odds will shrink and you can sell anytime..


12 posted on 10/16/2016 7:49:44 PM PDT by freespirit2012
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To: Helicondelta

There’s a thread/graph up on The_Donald subreddit that illustrates how Hillary could only beat Sanders in states without a voting paper trail. Her rallies are tiny and uninspired. When her supporters tried to start a Twitter hashtag supportive of her—#hillarybecause—it blew up like vesuvius. (NeverHillarys took it over, and evicerated her.)

Short of massive voter fraud, Hillary will lose spectacularly.


13 posted on 10/16/2016 7:52:13 PM PDT by Fantasywriter (Any attempt to do forensic work using Internet artifacts is fraught with pitfalls. JoeProbono)
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To: Helicondelta

these polls mean less than nothing. as has been said many times: “There are lies, damn lies, and statistics.” to which i would add, “then there are polls.”

the best thing anyone can do in this election, imho, is to pray that God lifts the righteous judgment He as placed on America, and then go out and exercise your God given consent of the governed.


14 posted on 10/16/2016 7:53:03 PM PDT by dadfly
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To: jennychase

You have an impressive background, and I respect your expertise. But there’s also the argument to be made that these polls are phony-facted from the get-go. I can’t prove it of course, but I do feel confident that with everything that is at stake in this election (read “trillions”), there are forces who will think nothing of fabricating some numbers in order to advance their agenda. I’m sure in your work there is an underlying assumption of professional ethics and little consideration of subterfuge and outright fraud.

I do not think that is the case when it comes to all of the polling, PR, and media outfits and those behind them.


15 posted on 10/16/2016 7:55:53 PM PDT by bigbob (The Hillary indictment will have to come from us.)
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To: Helicondelta

Pinging myself. A MUST READ. But later.


16 posted on 10/16/2016 7:57:09 PM PDT by InterceptPoint (Ted, you finally endorsed. About time..)
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To: Personal Responsibility

,
>> “Polls no longer assess opinion. They are used to drive opinion.” <<

This has been true longer than you have been alive.
.


17 posted on 10/16/2016 8:01:24 PM PDT by editor-surveyor (Freepers: Not as smart as I'd hoped they'd be)
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To: Helicondelta

October/November
Reagan Carter Anderson
40% 44% 9%
39% 45% 9%
47% 44% 8%
Actual result
51% 41% 7%


18 posted on 10/16/2016 8:04:23 PM PDT by Jeff Chandler (Everywhere is freaks and hairies Dykes and fairies, tell me where is sanity?)
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To: Helicondelta

Are there any who voted for Obama and will not vote for Hillary
Are there any who voted for Romney who aren’t going to vote for Trump

I doubt it

Depends on how many new voters Trump can get who didn’t vote in 2012


19 posted on 10/16/2016 8:06:57 PM PDT by uncbob
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To: Helicondelta

I’m thinking we need a Brexit Surprise.


20 posted on 10/16/2016 8:07:50 PM PDT by bboop (does not suffer fools gladly)
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