900 Poll

A 900 poll is a one-question unscientific “survey” that typically is taken by having television viewers or radio listeners call into a 1-900-number that involves a cost to the caller—sometimes a considerable cost. A different 900-number is given for each “response” that the poll allows the self-selected respondents to choose as their answer to whatever the survey question is. These polls are typically sponsored over a brief period of time—often an hour or less, for example, within a television program or shortly after it ends. For example, callers who prefer Contestant A (or Position A on an issue) and those who prefer Contestant B (or Position B on an issue) use separate 900-numbers. It is possible to offer callers more than two answer choices, and thus more than two 900-numbers, but typically these polls utilize only two or three choices.

Such polls have no scientific standing because there is no way to know what target population is represented by those who choose to dial in. Since this is a nonprobability sample, there is no valid way to calculate the size of the sampling error. Additional threats to their validity include the possibility that the same person will call in more than once.

Nonetheless these polls offer a vehicle for media organizations to provide their audience with a feeling of involvement in the programming, since the poll results are typically reported during the show and/or used to make some decision as part of the programming—for example, who won the competition. They also can serve as a source of revenue for the organization that conducts them, and, depending on how much is the charge to call in and how many people respond, they can generate a good deal of profit as they are relatively inexpensive to run.