Why I Hate [the current overuse of] Polling

Polling gets headlines.

It gives us charts, numbers, and momentum narratives for leadership. But here’s the truth: polling measures sentiment— not support. Checking a "I Support..." box costs nothing. It doesn’t require money, organizing, or taking on entrenched opposition.

Think of it like taking the temperature while ignoring the fire.

Here’s how I think about it: polling tells me the work that still needs to be done, not the work I no longer need to do. The key is to avoid a victory lap when polls show 67% support for your issue, because it's the 33% that will torpedo your effort.

While working on a ballot initiative in Ohio, we used the polling results to determine the messages we needed to integrate more fully into the ground game. The poll helped inform and adjust the strategy; it was not the strategy.

Real change comes from public affairs grunt work: coalition-building, advocacy, policy formation, hallway conversations, and persistence. Polls can gather the wood — but only real organizing can start the fire. And that’s why I hate the current overuse of polls: not because polling is useless, but because it’s too often mistaken for progress and a surrogate for strategy and shoe leather.