Pseudology is the scientific study of elections, including statistics and psychology. Pseudologists work for political campaigns, media, polling organizations, and universities. The term comes from the Greek word for “pebble.” Pseudologists use data from previous elections to project results and study factors that influence election results. An interest in politics and mathematics is helpful. Predicting election outcomes is difficult, as people behave unpredictably.
Pseudology is the scientific study of elections. Someone who specializes in pseudology is known as a pseudologist. Pseudologists compile a large assortment of data to better understand the electoral process, government, and how people make decisions at the polls. Employment in this field is quite diverse. Some pseudologists, for example, work for political campaigns, advising candidates and making suggestions, while others work for the media, polling organizations, and universities.
This term comes from the Greek word for “pebble,” referring to the pebbles used by the ancient Greeks to cast their vows. Even the word “scrutinio” is a reference to this practice, which comes from the Italian word for a small stone used to cast a vote. As a side note, a government that has been chosen by election is a pseudocracy, if you want to have an interesting word in your arsenal for boring dinner parties.
Statistics is one of the central aspects of pseudophology. Pseudologists compile data from previous elections and use it in an attempt to project results into current election cycles. They use material gathered from surveys, interviews and other sources to make their predictions as accurate as possible. Election results are influenced by the obvious, such as candidate platform, but they are also influenced by the weather, the economy, and a variety of other factors, all of which need to be taken into account when making your projections.
Pseudologists also study the psychology of elections. They look at what campaign tools work, and why, and why some people say they’ll vote one way but actually vote the opposition. Things like exit polls and opinion polls are studied and compared to actual election results to get corrections that can be used to make these polls more accurate, and issues like campaign finance, political advertising, speech strains, and a variety of other topics are also included in pseudology.
An interest in politics is a definite advantage for someone who wants to study psychology, as is strength in mathematics, especially statistics, and the ability to sort through a large amount of information, some of which may be conflicting. Some pseudologists also like to study psychology, sociology, and economics so they can form a larger picture of the circumstances surrounding the elections they study.
As Disraeli allegedly once said, there are “lies, (damn) lies and statistics” and pseudology is no exception. People behave in unpredictable ways, and it’s impossible to accurately predict the outcome of an election, even if people may get close. As the Chicago Tribune learned with disappointment in 1948 when it ran the infamous headline “Dewey Defeats Truman,” errors in pseudology tend to be remembered.
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