Online opt-in polls are more likely to mislead people than show actual public perception on issues and topics, a new Pew Research Center study claimed.
According to the research, online opt-in surveys are less effective than their physical counterparts as it tend to skew based on the people taking the poll rather than the researchers randomly choosing participants.
There is also the risk of "bogus respondents" that could further alter poll results towards certain biases, misrepresenting the actual public view.
How Does Opt-In Surveys Affect Public Perception?
Opt-in surveys refer to polls asking participants whether they agree, believe, or support certain topics, issues, and ideologies.
These types of surveys are usually used by news outlets to gauge public perception online on policies, social issues, and during the election period.
The research center has noted these polling issues in topics related to COVID-19, conspiracy theories, and even Holocaust denialism.
Many of the believers in the Holocaust being a myth and other conspiracy theories supposedly came from younger generations.
Pew Research Center Scrutinizes Online Survey Results Ahead of 2024 Elections
The Pew Research Center published the study amid the surge of online polls and callouts related to the upcoming 2024 US Presidential Elections.
Online opt-in polls continue to be a popular pre-election voting prediction across social media and sites, many of which were initiated by one of the candidates or their supporters.
To resolve these issues, Vox noted several resolutions that can be employed by research organizations that will be using opt-in volunteer surveys in the future.
Among these are implementing attention checks, IP verification, anti-bot software, and human monitoring survey results in real-time.
Data transparency on how researchers and online groups collect their survey responses can also provide a good insight into the actual poll results.
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