67% of Independents, 70% of Republicans, and 60% of Democrats Say People Lie to Political Pollsters

After 2016 Election miscues, pollsters continue to face Real & Significant Challenges

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Texas Insider Report) — A new Hill-HarrisX Poll says that 66% of all “Registered Voters” believe other people lie about their political preferences when taking part in polls. The survey, released in earlier this month, seems to confirm that the dilemma facing pollsters during the 2020 Presidential Race is real and significant.

While 66% of the Registered Voters polled believe it is either "Very" or "Somewhat Likely" that a significant number of people lie when responding to pollsters about politics, 34% believed lying was "unlikely."

And, a recent CloudResearch study – which specializes in market research and data collection – found that President Donald Trump’s supporters are about twice as likely as Joe Biden’s to misrepresent their preferences in polls conducted over the phone.

The Hill-HarrisX Poll found that large majorities of Independents, Republicans and Democrats agree people are not truthful:
 

• 70% of Republicans said it is either "Very" or "Somewhat Likely" that a significant percentage of people lie when responding to pollsters about politics
• 67% Independents agreed with the statement as well
• compared to 60% of Democrats who said the same

After their lack of accuracy during the 2016 Presidential election, political pollsters and other observers have recently begun to question whether 2020 polls are undercounting American's true level of support for President Trump. Should respondents not truthfully reveal how they intend to vote when taking political surveys, Trump's support could appear to be significantly lower than reality.

President Trump has long insisted that while a "Silent Majority" of Americans back his re-election, they won’t reveal that fact to poitical pollsters, who they increasingly don’t trust.

If enough so-called "Secret Trump Voters" exist, which the two reports seem to suggest, the president could be on the verge of achieving yet another poll-defying victory come November.

Many of those who believe that support for the president is under-represented in current polls cite the 2016 Election, when now-President Trump won the Electoral College despite most polls in battleground states suggesting he would lose.

Although the state polls were inaccurate, national polling of the election was not, with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton winning the popular vote by almost 3 million votes.

While most pollsters admit that some reluctance to honestly share political views could be common among voters, its not clear whether that translates to lying to pollsters.

"There are many people who are voting for Trump who are in environments where it's politically untenable to admit it. But, I'm still not convinced that not telling your business associates, or the people in your Rotary Club is the same thing as not telling a pollster," said Republican pollster Whit Ayres.

The Hill-HarrisX Poll was conducted online among 971 Registered Voters on August 29-31st, and has a margin of error of 3.1%.