herdpoll
/ˈhɜːdˌpəʊl/nounVerified NewA poll publicized less to measure opinion than to move it, telling voters which side is winning so they will join it.
The sample is thin and the release timed to early voting. Whether the number is true matters less than that people believe everyone else believes it.
Etym. — herd + poll; the instrument of measurement repurposed as an instrument of herding.
Novelty check: NEW · checked 2026-11-08
review evidence: wordstoreview/review-batch-3-01-power.md
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Method: Editorial batch review — per-word exact-form web search (WebSearch/Tavily) per docs/REVIEW-criteria.md §2