History Main / PushPolling

* Back when Wrestling/WWERaw did fan polls, many of the options were so heavily pushed so as to not ruin stories. The best example, however, was when the audience was given the choice of three different match stipulations: [[DistinctionWithoutADifference Extreme Rules, Falls Count Anywhere, and No Disqualification]].

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''Lowering the Bar'': {{Parodied}} in regards to posthumously pardoning Jim Morrison for a public indecency charge. The website's opinion poll offered readers the choice to vote "yes, we think Jim Morrison should be pardoned" or "no, I either don't know who that is, do not like music or other kinds of fun, or think it is more consistent with American values to not cheer up Morrison's aging father by clearing his son's name of a trumped-up charge that was President Nixon's idea in the first place."

One method is framing the questions to get the answers you want, typically with loaded questions.

Close, but not the same, is where you don't care about the answer, you just are using the questions themselves to sway people: the poll is propaganda or rumormongering masquerading as opinion polling. Example: "Do you believe we should retreat and let the enemy conquer the world? (Yes/No)". Another example: "Would you be more or less likely to vote for Candidate X if you knew he was a convicted murderer?"

Another is polling people when you already know how they will answer, that is, only polling people who might already have the opinion you want. For example, polling only rich people about whether welfare expenditure is too high.

Subtrope of LiesDamnedLiesAndStatistics (using credible-sounding statistics for deception). Often involves a FalseDichotomy (believing that only two--often conflicting--options exist, when there are many other alternatives) and DistinctionWithoutADifference (pretending two things are different when they're functionally the same).

* Creator/StephenColbert: {{Parodied}}. <insert person>, Great <relative position> or Greatest <relative position>? (George Bush, Great President or Greatest President?) And trying to TakeAThirdOption by flat saying the subject wasn't great at all just gets you "I'll just put you down for 'great', then, because that's not ''as'' great..."

* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'': During a 1982 episode of the show, Creator/EddieMurphy presentes a live lobster in a chef's kitchen on-air. He then opens a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_the_Lobster a phone poll]] so that viewers can decide whether to cook the lobster or not. Murphy deliberately tries to skew the poll towards killing the crustacean by enunciating the "cook" number slowly and clearly while speeding through the "spare" number. Despite this, the "spare" option wings; Murphy, however, cooks and serves the lobster anyways a week later due to racist remarks he received in the wake of the poll.

* ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'': Rat has taken a job as a pollster. Of course, being Rat, he skews the questions, asking ones like "Do you support the mayor, or do you agree with all the people who say he's a [[BigStupidDoodooHead bigtime poophead]]?" Later, when asked to be more neutral, he does ask seemingly neutral questions... such as "Do you support the current economic policies?" to three homeless people.

* ''WesternAnimation/SmilingFriends'': At the end of "Shrimp's Odyssey," a poll is held to see if the new Smiling Friend, Smormu, will be a permanent addition to the cast. Voting means texting a phrase to a phone number--those who wanted Smormu in can just type in his name, but those who don't need to put in "NO I REALLY REALLY REALLY DON'T WANT SMORMU." While the requirement for voting against him getting in the show is far more complex than voting for him, the votes for and against him were apparently equal, but the votes from the "electoral college" cemented his debut for real. [[spoiler:He's in the show for a brief moment, then is dead by the time the credits are finished.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': In The first episode, Mabel secretly gives a boy a quiz in an attempt to gain a boyfriend, with all three choices being positive responses.

Subtrope of LiesDamnedLiesAndStatistics. Often involves a FalseDichotomy and DistinctionWithoutADifference (pretending two things are different when they're functionally the same).

Subtrope of LiesDamnedLiesAndStatistics. Often involves a FalseDichotomy.

[[folder:Websites]]
* ''Lowering the Bar'': {{Parodied}} in regards to posthumously pardoning Jim Morrison for a public indecency charge. The website's opinion poll offered readers the choice to vote "yes, we think Jim Morrison should be pardoned" or "no, I either don't know who that is, do not like music or other kinds of fun, or think it is more consistent with American values to not cheer up Morrison's aging father by clearing his son's name of a trumped-up charge that was President Nixon's idea in the first place."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Non-fiction]]
* ''[=PiQ's=]'' (replacement for ''Newtype USA''): An article regarding fans' opinions on their new format. The fact that it was called the "Cheese and Whine Party" pretty much guaranteed that anyone who didn't like it wasn't exactly going to get much sympathy.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Unsorted]]

* Google Docs offered a survey which was surprisingly long, and the bulk of the questions were asking if the user was aware of such-and-such feature. It seemed it was at least as much about making the surveyed users aware of those features than it was about gauging how many people were using them, which could presumably be accomplished without a survey since Google Docs runs on Google's own servers.
* Any Twitter poll that says "RT for yes, fave/like for no". Since only one of those options is a signal-boost, and people generally follow people whose opinions they share to some extent, you can bet more potential "yes" voters are going to see this than "no" voters.
* Parodied in ''Lowering the Bar'', in regards to posthumously pardoning Jim Morrison for a public indecency charge. The website's opinion poll offered readers the choice to vote "yes, we think Jim Morrison should be pardoned" or "no, I either don't know who that is, do not like music or other kinds of fun, or think it is more consistent with American values to not cheer up Morrison's aging father by clearing his son's name of a trumped-up charge that was President Nixon's idea in the first place."

* When Kay Hagan was running against Elizabeth Dole for a North Carolina U.S. Senate seat, potential voters received calls from a company which was taking a poll. One of the questions, "Would it affect your vote to know that Kay Hagan is associating with and taking money from atheists?" This question and some others like it soon made it clear that the "polling company" was not legitimate, but was only asking questions to raise doubts about Hagan. Dole's campaign also ran a TV ad implying that Hagan, who was a former Sunday school teacher, was an atheist. By the way, Dole lost the election.

[[folder:Internet]]
* Happens all the time on Website/{{Wikipedia}}. Many people seem to think they can change the (nebulous) rules and force all other editors to do what they say, simply by holding a small biased poll on the matter. One of the more famous ones was a policy proposal to ''outlaw sarcasm''.
* Google Docs offered a survey which was surprisingly long, and the bulk of the questions were asking if the user was aware of such-and-such feature. It seemed it was at least as much about making the surveyed users aware of those features than it was about gauging how many people were using them, which could presumably be accomplished without a survey since Google Docs runs on Google's own servers.
* Any Twitter poll that says "RT for yes, fave/like for no". Since only one of those options is a signal-boost, and people generally follow people whose opinions they share to some extent, you can bet more potential "yes" voters are going to see this than "no" voters.
* Parodied in ''Lowering the Bar'', in regards to posthumously pardoning Jim Morrison for a public indecency charge. The website's opinion poll offered readers the choice to vote "yes, we think Jim Morrison should be pardoned" or "no, I either don't know who that is, do not like music or other kinds of fun, or think it is more consistent with American values to not cheer up Morrison's aging father by clearing his son's name of a trumped-up charge that was President Nixon's idea in the first place."
[[/folder]]

* Calvin of ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' likes to confront his dad with polls of the 6-year-old and tiger populations of the house. While these invariably show a landslide of popular opinion, his father inexplicably remains unmoved.
* One ''ComicStrip/{{Doonesbury}}'' strip had a reporter at a George W. Bush museum interacting with an exhibit designed to show why Dubya wasn't the [[WorstWhateverEver Worst President Ever]]. The questions went "Allow Saddam to [[InsaneTrollLogic somehow use WMD's he didn't have to take over the world]]" or "Invade Iraq again".
* One series of ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'' strips shows Rat having taken a job as a pollster. Of course, being Rat, he skews the questions, asking ones like "Do you support the mayor, or do you agree with all the people who say he's a [[BigStupidDoodooHead bigtime poophead]]?" Later, when asked to be more neutral, he does ask seemingly neutral questions... such as "Do you support the current economic policies?" to three homeless people.

[[folder:Print Media]]
* Likewise with ''[=PiQ's=]'' (replacement for ''Newtype USA'') article regarding fans' opinions on their new format. The fact that it was called the "Cheese and Whine Party" pretty much guaranteed that anyone who didn't like it wasn't exactly going to get much sympathy.

* Back when Wrestling/WWERaw did fan polls, much of the options were so heavily pushed so as to not ruin stories. The best example, however, was when the audience was given the choice of three different match stipulations: [[DistinctionWithoutADifference Extreme Rules, Falls Count Anywhere, and No Disqualification]].

* Satirized by [[Creator/SuzyEddieIzzard Eddie Izzard]] in her "Cake or Death?" sketch.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'''s [[HolidayMode Valentione's Day 2020]] event offered the players a choice of three [=NPCs=] to vote for as the Emissary of Love, with unique cutscenes that would play at the conclusion of the event depending on who won. However, Astrid was pushed as the blatantly correct option (existing ties to the event, the traditional color scheme, etc), as a result of which she ended up winning the election on ''every server in the entire game''. [[https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/blog/002945.html The dev blog]] details WhatCouldHaveBeen if Rodrigault or Bert had won.

[[folder:Web Comic]]
* ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'': Parodied to show the CrapsackWorld. The [[TheCaligula stupid, incompetent, and power mad King Steve]] holds a popularity poll, asking if the subject would like to be ruled by King Steve forever, or get a sword through their head. The survey had a [[ComedicSociopathy 52% fatality rate.]] [[note]]His daughter wasn't kidding when she said he's less popular than a hole in the head.[[/note]]

* The first episode of ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' has Mabel secretly give a boy a quiz in an attempt to gain a boyfriend, with all three choices being positive responses.

* A ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' special, ''WesternAnimation/YoureNotElectedCharlieBrown'', had Lucy taking an opinion poll to see if Linus could win the school election. Naturally, she intimidated everyone into saying they would vote for him and she thus concluded that he had a good chance.
* ''WesternAnimation/SmilingFriends'': At the end of "Shrimp's Odyssey," an in-universe poll is held to see if the new Smiling Friend, Smormu, will be a permanent addition to the cast. Voting means texting a phrase to a phone number -- those who wanted Smormu in can just type in his name, but those who don't need to put in "NO I REALLY REALLY REALLY DON'T WANT SMORMU." While the requirement for voting against him getting in the show is far more complex than voting for him, the votes for and against him were apparently equal, but the votes from the "electoral college" cemented his debut for real. [[spoiler:He's in the show for a brief moment, then is dead by the time the credits are finished.]]

[[folder:Other]]

Subtrope of LiesDamnedLiesAndStatistics.

!!Examples

* One episode of ''Series/YesPrimeMinister'' had Sir Humphrey [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahgjEjJkZks demonstrate]] how this works by asking Bernard two separate series of questions, one leading to the obvious conclusion that compulsory military service would be a good thing and the other leading to the obvious conclusion that compulsory military service would be a bad thing.
* Parodied by Creator/StephenColbert: <insert person>, Great <relative position> or Greatest <relative position>? (George Bush, Great President or Greatest President?) And trying to TakeAThirdOption by flat saying the subject wasn't great at all just gets you "I'll just put you down for 'great', then, because that's not ''as'' great..."
* On ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'', Leslie tried to get public support for building a park, by presenting the question to the public as "Wouldn't you rather have a park [[FalseDichotomy than a storage facility for nuclear waste]]?"
* Demonstrated on ''Series/PennAndTellerBullshit'' in an episode about statistics. One guest shows how polls are slanted to get a certain answer by asking questions of the same person and getting conflicted answers.
* Adam Carolla of ''Series/TheManShow'' was able to convince over a thousand women to sign a petition to ''end women's suffrage'', though this might be more related to ViewersAreMorons.
* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'': During a 1982 episode of the show, Creator/EddieMurphy presented a live lobster in a chef's kitchen on-air and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_the_Lobster opened a phone poll]] so that viewers could decide whether to cook the lobster or not. Murphy deliberately tried to skew the poll towards killing the crustacean by enunciating the "cook" number slowly and clearly while speeding through the "spare" number. Despite this, the "spare" option won; Murphy, however, cooked and served the lobster anyways a week later due to racist remarks he received in the wake of the poll.

* One episode of ''Series/YesPrimeMinister'' had Sir Humphrey [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgyKpkLpccE demonstrate]] how this works by asking Bernard two separate series of questions, one leading to the obvious conclusion that compulsory military service would be a good thing and the other leading to the obvious conclusion that compulsory military service would be a bad thing.

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'''s [[HolidayMode Valentione's Day 2020]] event offered the players a choice of three [=NPCs=] to vote for as the Emissary of Love, with unique cutscenes that would play at the conclusion of the event depending on who won. However, Astrid was pushed as the blatantly correct option (existing ties to the event, the traditional color scheme, etc), as a result of which she ended up winning the election on ''every server in the entire game''. [[https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/blog/002945.html The dev blog]] details WhatCouldHaveBeen if Rodrigault or Bert had won.

* One infamous push poll was created by Karl Rove while working to get UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush nominated for president over John [=McCain=]. "Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for John [=McCain=] for president if you knew he had fathered an illegitimate black child?"[[note]]This was also connected with pictures of [=McCain=] with his adopted daughter Bridget, who was born in Bangladesh and thus has dark South Asian skin.[[/note]] Theoretically this is a moot point, because he didn't -- but the poll put the idea in people's heads, without ''technically'' making a provably false accusation.

* One infamous push poll was created by Karl Rove while working to get UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush nominated for president over John [=McCain=]. "Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for John [=McCain=] for president if you knew he had fathered an illegitimate black child?" Theoretically this is a moot point, because he didn't -- but the poll put the idea in people's heads, without ''technically'' making a provably false accusation.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/whatdoyouthink_edit2_4810.png]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SmilingFriends'': At the end of "Shrimp's Odyssey," an in-universe poll is held to see if the new Smiling Friend, Smormu, will be a permanent addition to the cast. Voting means texting a phrase to a phone number - those who wanted Smormu in can just type in his name, but those who don't need to put in "NO I REALLY REALLY REALLY DON'T WANT SMORMU." While the requirement for voting against him getting in the show is far more complex than voting for him, the votes for and against him were apparently equal, but the votes from the "electoral college" cemented his debut for real. [[spoiler:He's in the show for a brief moment, then is dead by the time the credits are finished.]]

* There was a famous RealLife example to show how people will sign any petition if it's worded the right way. People were asked to sign a petition to ban the substance [[http://www.snopes.com/science/dhmo.asp dihydrogen monoxide]] - used in industry with almost no regulations, used by various kinds of criminals, capable of killing humans and other animals, able to corrode iron... Of course, anyone with a basic knowledge of chemistry should know what molecule has two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. [[note]] Unfortunately, there really is a pressure group that actually does want to ban water - and yes, they do call it water - because they were so disgusted with the Dihydrogen Monoxide hoax that they wanted to "teach them a lesson". They are very militant and very ''very'' angry. [[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'''s [[HolidayMode Valentione's Day 2020]] event offered the players a choice of three [=NPCs=] to vote for as the Emissary of Love. However, Astrid was pushed as the blatantly correct option (existing ties to the event, the traditional color scheme, etc), as a result of which she ended up winning the election on ''every server in the entire game''. [[https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/blog/002945.html The dev blog]] details WhatCouldHaveBeen if Rodrigault or Bert had won.

* ''WesternAnimation/SmilingFriends'': At the end of "Shrimp's Odyssey," an in-universe poll is held to see if the new Smiling Friend, Smormu, will be a permanent addition to the cast. Voting means texting a phrase to a phone number - those who wanted Smormu in can just type in his name, but those who don't need to put in "NO I REALLY REALLY REALLY DON'T WANT SMORMU." While the requirement for voting against him getting in the show is far more complex than voting for him, the votes for and against him were apparently equal, but the votes from the "electoral college" cemented his debut for real. [[spoiler:He's in the show for a brief moment, then he dies.]]