Opinion polls are a way of estimating public opinion on a certain matter and therefore beloved by governments and politicians. They can also be a useful way for companies to assess probable public reaction to a planned action or product.

An opinion poll is a flawed method of prediction since it only represents a sample of the total population. Furthermore, it has been shown that people may act differently in real life compared to how they respond on an opinion poll. However, despite the imperfect nature of opinion polls, they can be very useful in certain cases. They are most advantageous to businesses when conducted online.

Here are four reasons why you should do online opinion polls:

1. An online poll can reach a wider audience

Thanks to an instant connection via the internet, an online poll is just as easy to send to respondents in China as in Europe. This can be a particular advantage for companies who are looking to expand into a new market and who would like to test public reaction to their product first.

2. An online poll is easier for people to respond to

Nowadays, almost everyone in the developed world has a computer, and most people spend a large part of both their working life and free time online. Thanks to the multi-tab function of most modern browsers, someone can easily answer an online opinion poll in between one task and the next. People are more likely to make an effort when the means lie directly at their fingertips.

3. Faster and more accurate

Online polls offer instant delivery of the results. You can read someone’s response immediately after they submit it. Furthermore, as no data entry is required there are fewer steps in the chain and therefore less likelihood of input errors and inaccuracies in the results.

4. Ease of processing and display

Thanks to the fact that the end results are already in digital format, there is no processing required. Most online poll providers also provide analysis tools allowing you to create graphs, bar charts and other diagrams and graphics to display your results. This is a huge time-saver when it comes to presenting these results at the managers’ meeting or to your team members. Therefore, it is another reason why an online opinion poll is a better choice for busy professionals.