2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: I know the DU is only a petri dish in the big picture but [View all]Bubzer
(4,211 posts)Statistical sampling is an educated guess with a margin of error.
Online polls are a concrete snapshot result of those participating.
The first is intended to be a projection of the country... but is easily manipulated to provide desirable results.
Also, they rely on an interpreter, or middle man, to provide that result.
The second only represents those who're participating... but is significantly harder to fabricate.
Results are tabulated in real time and require no intermediary.
Online polls are relevant because they specifically poll those who're actively interested in the topic.
So when the overwhelming majority of viewers for a democratic debate say Bernie won, those are likely voters saying that. That is why online polls are meaningful.