Why can't a see a poll's result without voting?

Wasabo·Sep 30, 2014·1 votes·789 views

The polls don't let me see the result unless I vote, so sometimes if I want to see a result, I just vote randomly and look at it. We need to be able to see poll results!

8 Comments

Lumus AvatarSep 30, 20143 votes

Because seeing the results before voting would influence your vote, duh.

DaenSep 30, 20143 votes

I don't think we should be able to see poll results without voting, as it creates bias.

That being said, it is ridiculous that the creator of the poll has to vote on his or her own poll. It's the same issue to me as being able to vote on your own comments/threads; logically, the simple act of releasing your opinion shows your support. There is no reason to have that functionality (or lack thereof).

WasaboOct 1, 20143 votes

It might influence voting, but for votes you don't care much for or are just curious about, there should be a button that says "Display results" and it disables your vote. For example, I see a poll saying "Should I buy Black Belt Udyr or Primal Udyr" and I have the same question, I want to see the results so I don't have to make another thread with the same question. If the results are only displayed to voters, the data might not be so useful

DaenOct 1, 20141 votes

This is true, but it also pales in comparison to the inaccuracy that is brought about by bias. The widespread effects of allowing users to see results before voting could, in theory, significantly alter results due to bandwagon. The situation you outlined only comes into effect in a very specific circumstance, and can be completely resolved by quickly voting and looking at the result.

WasaboOct 1, 20141 votes

I agree about the bias part, but what if we don't want to vote, and we also have the same idea for a poll/question? If I had a question: Who do you think I should buy (and then 2 champions)? But then I saw another poll that was up with the exact same question, I don't want to...

Screw up the results by voting randomly just so I can see the answer
Create a new poll with the exact same question

Hyrum GraffOct 1, 20142 votes

I'm with the OP here (specifically, the comment you're replying to). I don't think that you should be able to vote after you viewed the results, but I do think there should be an option of "I don't want to vote in this poll, show me the results."

DaenOct 1, 20141 votes

Do we really need to encourage lurking even more? Part of the point of having the results hidden at first glance is to get people to engage and participate in something rather than just watching. I'm not saying that lurking is a bad thing, but I really don't think we need to be incentivizing a lack of interaction.

In this particular example, a single vote can easily be ignored. If I saw a thread asking which skin to choose and I wanted to see the community opinion, I would just vote for either a random one or the skin I think might be best. The result would then be displayed to me, and generally the single vote shouldn't change the information provided.

dialMARK4acti0nOct 2, 20142 votes

I think this is especially true to the post's creator. I have to vote on MY OWN POOL to see the results, and I feel that makes the poll ever so more, biased, sometimes.