I wouldn't mind answering calls from pollsters all that much if they were genuine polls. I've now gotten two calls that pretended to be polls but were really what is known as "push polls."
The Push Poll starts out like a poll is expected to start. There is the matter of anyone in the household working for any campaign or if one is a journalist. Then come questions about how likely you are to vote in the upcoming election, how you view yourself (liberal, moderate, conservative for example), and which party you are most likely to identify with or vote for. So far so good.
Next are questions about various candidates that include stuff like "Have you heard of $CANDIDATE" and rating the performance of officeholders. Also there are questions about campaign ads (TV, radio, newspaper) and if they are informative or too negative and such. Again, so far so good.
Ah, but then the push begins and it's so transparent it's insulting, no matter who does it. "$CANDIDATE said he supports $BAD_THING. Does this make you more likely or less likely to vote for him?" Lather, rinse, repeat. Seemingly endlessly. And the kid on the line calling for the campaign has to follow the script, but isn't always aware enough to be able to pronounce the candidate's names correctly. I kept on going more from curiosity as to how bad it would get, considering how poorly the push section started. Even telling the so-called pollster that it's a blatant push-poll that is rather insulting doesn't mean an end or a deviation from the script.
If I hadn't been expecting a call, I wouldn't have answered the phone. I made the mistake of answering the phone and saying something. I've gotten a few calls with OUT OF AREA on the caller ID and picked up the phone but said nothing. Just like telemarketer (which is really what they are, they are selling a candidate) a machine dials and expects a sound. If it doesn't get a sound, the call is dropped. If the machine gets a sounds, it connects the call to the supposed pollster who is really a campaign worker.
If I answer the phone now, I wait for the caller to say something unless the call is a from a number I recognize. More likely, I'll let the call go to the answering machine. If a machine calls, a machine might as well answer.
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