"Argumentum ad populum is Latin for the idea that because many people believe something to be true, it is true. Closely related is the bandwagon effect in marketing, where marketers attempt to persuade people to purchase their goods and services by claiming “everyone else is doing it.” These strategies aren’t just used to sell goods and services—they are also used to sell politicians and policies.
What’s the best way to show that “everyone else” supports the candidate or legislation? Polling. When polls show a majority of folks favor a policy or candidate, it marginalizes those who disagree with the poll, peer-pressuring them into conformity by making them think their opinions are unpopular, invalid, or irrelevant."
http://thefederalist.com/2015/12/28/how-polls-manipulate-voters-no-matter-the-results/
Also gets into the question of liberal bias in polling. I'm glad I read this - it's not a concern I would encounter in the publications I usually read, and I can imagine that it's totally valid (if I read about concerns with polls, it's only when a poll has a clear conservative bias).
I wish that, politically, with didn't have so much distrust or enmity.
Related: New Yorker on polling concerns
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