Poll vs Survey
Poll and survey are tools to gather knowledge and information about public opinion. Poll or opinion polls as they are called commonly are in the news these days as one can see them embedded in most of the websites, to get the response of the reader. Surveys serve the same purpose of getting information on different issues from the reader. However, there are many differences between the two tools that will be highlighted in this article.
Poll
Poll is a type of survey that presents a single question with alternatives to select for the respondent. Polls can be seen everywhere on the internet and have become an integral part of not just news websites but even blogs. People are asked to share their opinions in either yes or no or to choose between alternatives to a question that is thrown at them. People, when they click the mouse at one of the options, get to know the results of the poll immediately.
Polls are designed in such a manner that they are simple and quick, and they do not require a person to spend a lot of time. They also do not ask for any personal information and all a person has to do is to tick the alternative in response to the question posed at him. Sometimes, opinion polls are just a question of choosing between yes or no as when plebiscite is done. The results of such an opinion poll are extrapolated to arrive at a decision.
Survey
Surveys prove to be invaluable tools for the purpose of gathering information from people. Whether it is for the marketing of a new product, designing welfare policies for a population, conducting research in the social field etc., surveys in various forms are utilized. Surveys can demand information that is factual or it may be for knowing preferences of people regarding social issues. There may be questions to know about the behavioral patterns too.
Surveys can be of different lengths as there can be surveys with just 1-2 questions while there can be surveys containing dozens of questions. The questions in a survey can be closed ended or open ended depending upon the requirements of the surveying company.
What is the difference between a Poll and Survey?
• Poll is a type of survey as the two are merely tools for gathering information from people.
• In fact, it would be better to term polls as quick surveys as they contain a single question with either a yes/no answer pattern or the respondent has to choose between several alternatives.
• With the advent of the internet, polls have become very common, and one can take part in a poll by just a click of the mouse.
• There can be paid surveys while polls do not pay for opinions.
• Poll can be completed with the click of a mouse on the internet while surveys are in depth and often require the respondent to share much information.