Does the 1st name in a poll always win??

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2005
Does the 1st name in a poll always win??
7
Wed, 07-19-2006 - 4:43pm
Has anyone who's been on this board for a long time noticed if the first name on a poll always gets the most votes? I did several polls 2 years ago when deciding on DD#1's name. The first name in the poll always won. I just posted a poll for DD#2's name and guess what!? The first name is winning. What do you all think?
Jaq
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-08-2004
Wed, 07-19-2006 - 4:46pm

I did a poll a while back on place names. India was the first name on the list and got only a few votes. I think Georgia was second on the list, and it won.

Also, for what it's worth, on your list, I voted for Julia, not Lily.




Edited 7/19/2006 4:47 pm ET by ab2203
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2005
Wed, 07-19-2006 - 5:26pm

Of all the polls I've posted over the last year or so, I don't think the first choice has ever won. It's definitely an interesting question though.




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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-09-2005
Wed, 07-19-2006 - 6:36pm
When posting a poll I think most people put THEIR personal favourite first. Since many people have common tastes, their personal favourite is also the favourite of many others, so it tends to get a lot of votes.

                             
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-22-2006
Wed, 07-19-2006 - 8:19pm
I had a different expeirence, the first combo. in the last poll I did, actually got the least votes!

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-29-2005
Wed, 07-19-2006 - 10:58pm

I think nat made a great point here! A lot of times it seems people will list THEIR favorite name first, so it's kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy that that particular option has a good chance of winning (especially if the name is/has been discussed in more detail and some voting may know it's a favorite, has special meaning, is a family name, or whatever).

I would often try to mix my favorites in with some other choices to try and avoid anything like this. ;) I don't think it's that big of a problem normally, though, because lately I've been noticing a middle option winning a lot of the polls (whereas I'd think the first or last would win if it was just a question of what was most memorable, KWIM?).

Interesting question, though! If you want to test the theory you could try looking back at some older polls that aren't being voted in anymore and see what won. ;)

~Kelli


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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-08-2004
Wed, 07-19-2006 - 11:02pm
I don't know if it's a result of this thread or not, but now, in your poll below, Julia and Anna (which both appear near the bottom of the list) are tied in the lead with 7 votes each, compared to Lily's 4. Maybe it worked itself out...or maybe people were just more conscious of not voting for the first one...?
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2005
Thu, 07-20-2006 - 3:17pm
I guess we'll never know! Thanks to all for your theories and experience.
Jaq