Pew Research Center

FOR RELEASE JUNE 16, 2026

Video: How to spot a good poll vs. a bad poll

Anyone can ask a survey question online – but does that make it a good poll? They might call themselves a pollster, but their methods aren’t exactly best practice — and the internet is flooded with these low-quality polls. Here are a few simple things you can look for to tell whether a poll is legit or sketchy.

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Pew Research Center, June 2026, "Video: How to spot a good poll vs. a bad poll"

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Video: How to spot a good poll vs. a bad poll

Anyone can ask a survey question online – but does that make it a good poll? They might call themselves a pollster, but their methods aren’t exactly best practice — and the internet is flooded with these low-quality polls. Here are a few simple things you can look for to tell whether a poll is legit or sketchy.

Anyone can ask a survey question online – but does that make it a good poll? They might call themselves a pollster, but their methods aren’t exactly best practice — and the internet is flooded with these low-quality polls. Here are a few simple things you can look for to tell whether a poll is legit or sketchy. To learn more about polling basics, watch our Methods 101 video series.