Uttar Pradesh Election 2022 Results: During the elections, opinion polls and exit polls are both indicators of voters' choices. Exit polls are not opinion polls. After the last phase of an election, viewers can expect exit polls. Various firms come up with exit poll predictions, but the efficiency of them can be cited only on the counting day. What is the difference between an opinion poll and an exit poll and what role do they play during an election? Read it below to find the difference.
In every election season, we see the media flooded with opinion polls and, subsequently, exit polls after the casting of votes.
The main difference between an opinion poll and an exit poll is that the first is conducted before the voter actually votes. It was asked by the people for whom they would be voting this time. And exit polls are taken just after a voter walks out after casting his or her vote. It was asked by the voter for whom they voted for. It has been seen that the credibility of both opinion polls and exit polls has been questioned.
About Opinion Polls
It is a pre-election survey to gather the views of voters or sense the mood prior to the elections. It got wide recognition for assessing the outcomes of elections in India.
About Exit Polls
An exit poll is taken soon after a voter walks out after casting his or her vote. Basically, it acts as an indicator of which party forms the government. We can say that in an opinion poll, the plans of the voter are asked about and in an exit poll, it is asked for whom the voter actually voted.
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Difference between an Opinion Poll and an Exit Poll
| Category | Opinion Poll | Exit Poll |
| Definition | It is a kind of survey in which before an election, voters are asked their opinion about whom they are going to vote for in the election. Therefore, it is conducted to find the opinion of the public before elections. | It is an election survey based on interviews with voters after casting their votes. Interviewers visit various constituencies to ask voters about their polls. After listening to the voters, a possible outcome of the election in certain constituencies is determined. Therefore, it is a method to know the outcome of a poll in advance. |
| What type of it is? | It is a pre-election poll | It is a post-election poll |
| Who participates in the survey? | People or voters who may or may not vote | People or voters who have voted |
| What are the limitations? | - Voters may change their opinions after expressing them. Voting intentions are volatile. - People might lie. It is not considered accurate. - In the poll, non-registered voters may also be included.
| Some it gives the mood of the nation is heading but there have been various instances when exit polls predictions turned out to be wrong. People might lie. |
However, the reliability of exit polls' accuracy has been a subject of debate. As per experts, they are not accurate but provide a broad trend and a sense of direction as to the mood of the nation. In the past, there have been instances when exit polls failed to capture the mood of voters. Therefore, it is concluded that exit polls often present a broader picture of the election results than final results after counting, but they still remain far away from the results after all.
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