Don’t Vote, Don’t Take Surveys, Don’t Give Feedback

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On Election Day in the United States, it's appropriate to momentarily consider the argument for not voting.  I predict that not one election today will come down to a single vote.  Therefore, casting your vote doesn't make a difference, and by skipping it you can save yourself the hassle of standing in line.  Or, to put voting in economic terms, as Glen Whitman does, "the marginal benefit of voting is essentially nil, since a single vote almost never decides any election, while the marginal cost includes the opportunity cost of your time, the cost of travel, the risk of getting hit by a truck on the way to the polls, etc."

This sprang to mind last week when I was introduced to Cathy, a woman who-after discovering what I did for a living-was quite curious about web surveys.  "Why would anyone take the time to fill out a survey?  It just seems like a waste of effort."  She concluded proudly, "I have never taken a single survey!"

Living in Massachusetts, I then went out on a conversational limb.  "Do you like Starbucks?" I asked.

"Oh, I love Starbucks!" Cathy said.  (Most Bay Staters love Dunkin' Donuts coffee over Starbucks.)

I then explained to her about MyStarbucksIdea and how people could submit their own ideas, because they were passionate about their Starbucks experience and wanted to see Starbucks serve them better.  I said people filled out surveys for the same reason, to provide that feedback. 

She instantly understood.  "I once wrote the president of Starbucks a letter!"

"Well," I said, "people answer surveys and participate in online communities for the same reason you wrote that letter."

And people vote for the same reason.  No, it may not be rational to think that that one survey response is going to make the company a better place to buy a cup of coffee from.  But the collection of survey responses and community feedback helps Starbucks tremendously.  No, if you're a U.S. citizen, your single vote today  won't decide any outcome, but your public commitment to voting and your engagement in the process will help improve the country.  On a day when both major-party candidates advocate change, your vote may even help transform the country.

See also:

• Idea Ownership in Research Communities (MyStarbucksIdea specifically)
• When Instant Feedback is Like Instant Coffee