Are Polls Superfluous?

Just wondering...

Polls aren't superfluous. To me they seem a quick way to gather data without having to sift through countless; and for the most part, superfluous posts to find the general population's opinion on an issue.

I don't vote in public polls.

I'd have to say... Sometimes. But that isn't an option.

Edit: And to the people who voted on the last one... dictionary.com

No, I think polls are, while not necessary, quite useful. It gives you an idea of what the general response is (from people who reply to the poll, anyway) without having to go through all the posts and count out everyone's opinions. You can also see how people choose, so that unclear wording on a response is not as much of a problem. The thread is mainly there for people who don't think the poll accurately expresses their best answer, or to explain why they chose the way they did (it is still common courtesy to post in the thread after answering even if the poll captures your response perfectly, just as it is proper to respond to any one accurate response on the poll if you decide to respond in a post).