The Electoral Surveys and the Debate about their Influence in the Elections

Abstract

This work aims to study the influence that publishing election polls can exert over the elections as a socio-political basis of its regulation. The study deals with analyzing the data and the existing evidence for the electoral polls influence on individual citizens; with determining the types of effects that this information can produce on the vote; with examining their potential impact on the determination of election results and, finally, with evaluating the possibility or not of foreseeing the direction in which this influence can be exercised in a particular election.

Of the study, it can be concluded that electoral polls occupy a prominent place in the electoral decision of many citizens; that the effects on them are very different and of opposite sign; that this influence is likely to affect the election results, and that it is not possible, however, to predetermine the sense of this influence, although this does not eliminate the risk of manipulation. In short, that the regulation of this matter has a solid basis in which to support.