Reply #50: 102% Explained by "Social Desirability"

[flintdem]

People always overreport voting. Because things like voting and attending church are viewed as something that people should do- reported percentages of these activities are always inflated.

Post-election polls usually find 70-75% of respondents reporting voting in the presidential election (when the actual number is usually closer to 50%)and they report voting for the winner at a higher margin than the election results (everybody likes a winner!).

At least some of both the reported bush 2000 and Gore 2000 voters in the 2004 exit poll never voted in 2000.

Bernstein, Robert, Anita Chadha, and Robert Montjoy. 2001. "Overreporting Voting: Why It Happens and Why It Matters." Public Opinion Quarterly 65:22–44.