…and this is a 
Need a poll fix?
Category: Pointless polls
Posted on: August 6, 2008 9:56 AM, by PZ Myers
Today's target is the website for the credulous Australian TV program, The One, which claims to be searching for someone with magical mind powers. The poll asks, "Are you a believer or a sceptic?"
70% of Australian voters in this poll are currently calling themselves believers. Let's embarrass them with a worldwide showing of skeptics. (This might be a tough one: I suspect many more people watch TV than will read this post.)
Comments
Posted by: molecantrho | August 6, 2008 9:59 AM
Damn! When you said 70% are believers I thought there were probably only a few hundred votes, but when I voted (as a skeptic, just in case you guys and gals are wondering) there were almost 7300 votes!!
And PZ, while I'd agree that more people watch TV than read this post...I doubt that many of them would log onto their computers just to vote. It's much easier just to click your links (so to speak). ;)
Posted by: Snitzels | August 6, 2008 10:00 AM
Hey... it seems you can vote multiple times, though my several votes haven't registered a change in the percentage yet... Anyone else?
Posted by: molecanthro | August 6, 2008 10:01 AM
umm...so apparently i'm a molecular anthropologist with bad spelling :(
Posted by: Ranson | August 6, 2008 10:01 AM
Randi's been covering this one week-by-week. They've got a good consultant from Australian Skeptics on the show, but, like any TV, they lean toward the sensational over the real.
Posted by: King of Ferrets | August 6, 2008 10:02 AM
Once again, I complain that you haven't crashed my poll. The complaints shall continue until you crash it! =P
Posted by: Bad Albert | August 6, 2008 10:02 AM
Okay, I'll start it off. Current score is 70% Believers and 30% Sceptics [sic].
Posted by: dtlocke | August 6, 2008 10:05 AM
Skeptics: 31%
Posted by: aiabx | August 6, 2008 10:08 AM
Skeptics 32%
Posted by: Protesilaus | August 6, 2008 10:09 AM
Sceptics are now at 32%
Posted by: Peregrine | August 6, 2008 10:10 AM
I watched this the other night.
The challenge was for them to go to the seen of the 2001 murder of british tourist Peter Falconio. Bradley John Murdoch was conivicted of the murder in 2005, but the body has never been found.
The three contestants were set a task: to find the body.
They did lots of mumbo-jumboing and waving and saying "i feel he's definately here, he's crying out" etc etc.
Of course they didn't find anything.
I thought it was a bit sick actually.
Posted by: Protesilaus | August 6, 2008 10:12 AM
Sceptics 33%
Posted by: Duvenoy | August 6, 2008 10:12 AM
67 to 33 percent, believers
Posted by: Peregrine | August 6, 2008 10:13 AM
The challenge was for them to go to the seen of the 2001 murder
I can't believe I wrote "seen."
SCENE. Sorry....!!
Posted by: alphgeek | August 6, 2008 10:14 AM
I'm disappointed. I thought we aussies were smarter than this. I can only take comfort in the fact that aussie commercial TV is drivel of the first order and attracts an appropriate audience.
And speaking of comfort...tear him a new one PZ.
Posted by: David M. | August 6, 2008 10:18 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liefTM7j2gI
They're just going to end up disproving themselves.
I guess they could start fixing the gameshow.
Posted by: black wolf | August 6, 2008 10:20 AM
65-35
Posted by: locksmyth | August 6, 2008 10:20 AM
Alphageek, we Aussies are smarter than that. Just remember that the people that have voted prior to PZ's announcement are people that watch the show. I know that had I been still living in OZ neither me nor my most the people I know would watch, let alone visit the shows website.
Posted by: Peregrine | August 6, 2008 10:22 AM
I thought we aussies were smarter than this
So did I. Until I saw they're also now broadcasting an Australian version of that japanese tv-show where people have to try and fit themselves through impossibly-shaped holes which, like a tetris block, hurtle towards them and knock them into a swimming pool.
http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2008/02/fox-wants-hole-in-wall.html
It's the beginning of the end.
Posted by: DoctorOHM | August 6, 2008 10:23 AM
Voted (sceptic).
Posted by: Sastra | August 6, 2008 10:25 AM
I refused to vote. As a longtime member of the Skeptic Society, I will have nothing to do with the "sceptics." Splitters.
(Just kidding: I'm both skeptic AND sceptic.) ;)
Posted by: Kobra | August 6, 2008 10:26 AM
Argh! They're using Yahoo polls. I can't break this one like I did with the Genius of Darwin TV Guide rating.
Posted by: cactusren | August 6, 2008 10:33 AM
Sceptics are up to 39%!
Posted by: GooGoo | August 6, 2008 10:38 AM
40%!
Posted by: Protesilaus | August 6, 2008 10:39 AM
URL to Vote:
http://post.polls.yahoo.com/quiz/quizresults.php?user_choice=2
Kobra, it isn't that hard to break this poll.
Posted by: Genuinely Doug | August 6, 2008 10:39 AM
I have funny conversation with my cousin. She asked me if I believe in extra terrestrial visitations? I said there is no good evidence. ESP. No good evidence. Premonitions. No good evidence. Ghost. No good evidence. Alternative medicine. Some of it, but mostly there is no good evidence. Acupuncture. No good evidence.
In frustration, she exclaimed "You don't believe in anything, do you?!"
Posted by: Eric | August 6, 2008 10:41 AM
Sceptic [sic] is now at 40%.
Come on, really? How hard is it to use spellcheck before putting something online?
Posted by: freelunch | August 6, 2008 10:43 AM
No, but I have no problem accepting reality.
Posted by: Xander | August 6, 2008 10:48 AM
There's also a current poll on CNN about whose energy plan is the best, Obama's, McCain's or Paris Hilton's.
http://www.cnn.com/
Posted by: Martin_z | August 6, 2008 10:48 AM
Eric at #26 - Nothing wrong with sceptic. Just because you lot in the US spell it skeptic, doesn't make it right.
According to my dictionary (Collins English) sceptic is correct, and skeptic is archaic (or US). Australians tend to follow UK spelling, rather than US.
Posted by: Rob the Lurker FCD BMWCCA | August 6, 2008 10:51 AM
I don't like the new format. Change is not good (unless it's very gradual over a very long period of time.
Is that how skeptic is spelled in the other hemisphere?
If alternative medicine worked it would just be called medicine. When proceeding the word "medicine", "alternative" means "does not work".
Posted by: Protesilaus | August 6, 2008 10:54 AM
Are you equating Alternative Medicine to Alternative Spelling?
Posted by: dsmccoy | August 6, 2008 10:54 AM
Eric: "Come on, really? How hard is it to use spellcheck before putting something online?"
Uh, you people who are ragging on the spelling of "sceptic" might want to look it up.
"sceptic" is the british english spelling, "skeptic" is the american english spelling.
It's one of those colour/aluminium/zed kind of things,
deal with it.
Oh, sceptics are up to 42%
Posted by: Benjamin Geiger | August 6, 2008 10:55 AM
"Skeptic" rings truer; "sceptic" looks like it should be pronounced "septic". (Think "scepter".)
USian, BTW.
Posted by: Julian | August 6, 2008 10:56 AM
I prefer to take a more latiny approach as much as possible, so skeptic, where k represents a strong c sound instead of sceptic, where you have two potentially soft s sounds, is my preferred spelling. But, if you Aussies want to spell like Norman patsies and sell out the English language, that's your right :p
43% when I voted; keep it coming folks!
Posted by: Arnosium Upinarum | August 6, 2008 11:02 AM
PZ, I'm afraid you picked a lost cause with this one. I doubt this one can be pulled through into the glare of sunshine...I'd LOVE to be proven wrong.
Posted by: The Cheerful Nihilist | August 6, 2008 11:03 AM
Xander #28
Paris is ahead (oops, almost typed that as two words).
I'm peptic.
Posted by: Jim | August 6, 2008 11:06 AM
Dammit. Yahoo cut me off. I got an error: "Sorry, Unable to process request at this time -- error 999."
I opened the poll in a new window in Firefox and hit back-click-back-click about 30 times. I guess they thought I was a bot.
Posted by: Martin_z | August 6, 2008 11:06 AM
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.
Sceptre (spelt like that!) is a different word from sceptic. And in any case, sceptre comes originally from the greek "skeptron" meaning staff - arguably sceptre should be pronounced "skepter".
And it's spelt, not spelled. Sigh. You Yanks just don't get it, do you?
Posted by: Aegis | August 6, 2008 11:10 AM
Currently 45-55%, in favor of the opposition. Keep it up!
These poll crashings are like boss battles.
Posted by: Rob the Lurker FCD BMWCCA | August 6, 2008 11:12 AM
We yanks invented the English language. Why do you think it's called English?
Posted by: Peter | August 6, 2008 11:18 AM
46-54%. We are gaining!
Posted by: dsmccoy | August 6, 2008 11:20 AM
"I prefer to take a more latiny approach as much as possible, so skeptic, "
Like I said people: look it up.
From the Online Etymological Dictionary:
... from Fr. sceptique, from L. scepticus, from Gk. skeptikos ...
Latin is "sc", greek is "sk".
Pull your arse over to the kerb, get the dictionary out of the boot and look it up.
Posted by: freelunch | August 6, 2008 11:23 AM
Prescriptivist.
Do you really think you'll get us to change to the minority spelling rules just because the folks who live on the damp, dreary island that the language started on spell things that way? You might as well try to teach the French to spell phonetically.
Posted by: Qwerty | August 6, 2008 11:29 AM
The poll is now 53% believers and 47% skeptics.
Posted by: dsmccoy | August 6, 2008 11:31 AM
"Do you really think you'll get us to change to the minority spelling rules just because the folks who live on the damp, dreary island that the language started on spell things that way? "
This poll comes from a different island.
You know, the one with the kangaroos.
They've got surfing too.
Posted by: freelunch | August 6, 2008 11:34 AM
So, why didn't they bother to invent their own spellings like we did?
Posted by: Graculus | August 6, 2008 11:36 AM
But, if you Aussies want to spell like Norman patsies and sell out the English language
What?
It was those sheep buggering Norman pigs that introduced the letter "k" to English orthogaphy. Real Saxons still use "c".
Posted by: Martin_z | August 6, 2008 11:38 AM
Actually, Australia isn't damp and dreary, and this argument started about the spelling of sceptic in Oz.
But yes, I'm a Brit. And yes, England can be damp and dreary. (Though it's a nice day today.) And I suppose, these days, arguably, the spelling rules we use are minority.
But they are right.
"This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle..."
Posted by: Nerd of Redhead | August 6, 2008 11:40 AM
Ah, the Brits, Yanks, and Aussies, all separated by a common language. :-)
Posted by: Mark N | August 6, 2008 11:43 AM
51-49 to 'them'.
As for spelling-gate, I'm from the UK and prefer skeptic. That said, if we all just used what we preferred, women would all be called birds......
Posted by: dsmccoy | August 6, 2008 11:45 AM
"So, why didn't they bother to invent their own spellings like we did?"
Don't spit the dummy, I don't speak Strine, ... strewth!
Hooroo!
Posted by: Eric | August 6, 2008 11:54 AM
We made it to 50%... Out of 10,255 total votes so far. Hopefully we can push them back!
Posted by: Varlo | August 6, 2008 11:54 AM
50-50 at 11:47 EDT
Posted by: Valerie | August 6, 2008 11:56 AM
50/50
Posted by: cicely | August 6, 2008 11:56 AM
50/50
Posted by: Tim Drake | August 6, 2008 11:56 AM
50-50.
Booya.
Posted by: Varlo | August 6, 2008 11:57 AM
Sorry about bum Email. Totally off the subject, it occurred to me recently that since the xian "god" created Eve well after Adam, that there is a really serious question for them to ask: Did Adam have nipples?
Posted by: Chris Davis | August 6, 2008 12:00 PM
50:50 as of now.
Come on, you heathens! (or, as a cox was heard to exhort in the Oxford/Cambridge boat race, 'Row, you toilets!')
CD
Posted by: marktime | August 6, 2008 12:00 PM
Deuce. Mmmmm. Draw......Mmmm Empate!
Posted by: MikeM | August 6, 2008 12:05 PM
49% believers.
PZ, I expect you to show more faith in us in the future.
(Kidding.)
Posted by: Chris Davis | August 6, 2008 12:06 PM
51:49!
I'm so proud of us.
CD
Posted by: Arthur | August 6, 2008 12:07 PM
There are a lot of people commenting on the sceptic/skeptic issue. Get over it. The English "language" is not one language, but instead is a variety of dialects that are close enough to each other to be mostly mutually intelligible. As the saying goes in linguistics, a language is a dialect with an army and a navy. Each country has tried to create its own standard English based on the specific dialects spoken in that region, so it goes without saying that there will be significant differences between the various versions of standard English. As for spelling, blame the people who write dictionaries, not the people who just happen to follow the conventions of their own country.
Posted by: Josh | August 6, 2008 12:08 PM
49% woo to 51% Skeptics!
You gotta believe in yourself and your readers PZ. We outgunned the large Australian TV audience!
Posted by: fartbandit | August 6, 2008 12:08 PM
49% believers 51% sceptics!
We're ahead!
(yay for the correct spelling of the word sceptic btw!)
Posted by: Pingh Faloqui | August 6, 2008 12:13 PM
Sorry Myers - I'm with the believers on this one
Posted by: Robert | August 6, 2008 12:21 PM
No need to apologize, Pingh; freedom of thought means any sort of thought, not just the freedom to be an atheist. =]
Posted by: marym | August 6, 2008 12:33 PM
Ha! 10786 votes since Jul 1 2008 and sceptics have hit 52%...
This is highly amusing to me, as a brit we now have a law to make psychics put a disclaimer on their adverts to state "for entertainment purposes only" and, even better than that, "not experimentally proven".
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/public_law/article3987725.ece
Posted by: John Yates | August 6, 2008 12:40 PM
53% for the sceptics! I spammed it for about a minute straight with maybe 15 votes, and we appear to have broken it!
Posted by: not completely useless | August 6, 2008 12:40 PM
"a believer or a sceptic"
Nice specific question!
I guess I'd have to say it depends on the proposition. I believe that I'm human, though I'm skeptical that anyone else is ...
Posted by: Gary | August 6, 2008 12:47 PM
The poll's now up to 53% "sceptics", great job everyone!
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT | August 6, 2008 12:55 PM
Believer in what? Psychics?
Why?
Posted by: Rob the Lurker FCD BMWCCA | August 6, 2008 1:21 PM
45% Believers - 11427 votes
Posted by: clinteas | August 6, 2008 1:23 PM
Aussies are big into psychics and superstition,so the initial poll result before it was pharyngulated doesnt surprise me,but we dont make them put disclaimers up like in the UK yet!
As to this show,never heard of it,there is plenty of John Edwardsy stuff on TV tho.
Skeptic sounds right to me,btw....
Posted by: Flamethorn | August 6, 2008 1:25 PM
Currently at:
Believer 45%
Sceptic 55%
Posted by: Rob the Lurker FCD BMWCCA | August 6, 2008 1:32 PM
Oddly enough there's a link on the page PZ links to for "Australian Skeptics". Click on it and it sends you to http://www.skeptics.com.au/
Still 55% Sceptic (11540 votes)
Posted by: ThirtyFiveUp | August 6, 2008 1:40 PM
#28 Xander
Heh, this is the poll now.
John McCain's 27% 34587
Barack Obama's 33% 43481
Paris Hilton's 40% 52088
Total Votes: 130156
Posted by: Kyle W. | August 6, 2008 3:14 PM
I didn't realise there was such contention over those minor spelling differences :)
Posted by: Rob the Lurker FCD BMWCCA | August 6, 2008 3:21 PM
Kyle, you think this is contentious? Try throwing away a cracker!
Posted by: IBY | August 6, 2008 3:27 PM
Huh, them Aussies write skeptics with a c instead of a k? Anyways, woo! We crashed the poll. ^_^
Posted by: kereng | August 6, 2008 3:44 PM
I am skeptik.
58% sceptics now (12386 votes)
Posted by: Zach | August 6, 2008 4:00 PM
Actually now it is 41% believers.
Posted by: S.Scott | August 6, 2008 4:09 PM
Go to "Stand up for Real Science" to take a survey on your understanding of evolution.
Posted by: mandrellian | August 6, 2008 5:09 PM
Heh, 60% skeptics now! Bet they didn't see that coming ... *boomtish*
FYI James Randi's JREF is keeping tabs on this show. Going by some of the reporting coming in from Aussie viewers it seems like a lot of Richard Saunders' good work in identifying the bollocks-peddlers may be ending up on the cutting room floor. But I guess woo-woo always rates better than a bloke saying "Mate, you're talking out of your ARSE" for an hour.
btw I'm an Aussie but I prefer "skeptic" with a "k". Just looks better :)
Posted by: varlo | August 6, 2008 5:24 PM
Why can't we spell it scheptic like the xians spell their savior? Also, no one has yet told me if Adam had nipples. Or why.
Posted by: bargal20 | August 6, 2008 5:34 PM
I laboured long and hard to get the Australian Labor Party elected into federal government in Australia last November.
Posted by: MAJeff, OM | August 6, 2008 5:38 PM
Also, no one has yet told me if Adam had nipples. Or why.
Because they're awesome toys.
Posted by: sjburnt | August 6, 2008 5:42 PM
Aw come on. A sceptic tank sounds like something used to process waste! I would prefer 'Skeptic'!
I still think that these poll crashings are good humor! Thanks to all who cared and made a difference!
Posted by: Robert | August 6, 2008 6:01 PM
#75 - nothing odd about it; the vice-president of the Australian Sceptics Society is on the show, playing the role of judge and making sure the tests aren't _too_ blatantly rigged.
Because rigged they are, or at least the TV editing process is. So far, we've seen:
* "find the object" tests - where the object is in a likely place to go anyway (e.g. near the top of a hill which is a good lookout), or near the entrance with rough or muddy ground
* cold reading - where the reading goes for 15 minutes, and they show two minutes (with all the hits, none of the misses)
* "celebrity readings" - where the reader can say "I sense you're a TV star", get told no, then a few seconds later go "I'm getting a feeling you're in sports" (when Australian celebrities are nearly all either TV stars or sports stars). The funny one was where the celebrity in question was both - a TV star who also was a champion skier.
* (bad) diagnosis of medical conditions based on observation/"medical intuition" - resulting in such insights as "I think you've got a respiratory problem" to someone you've just spent a minute listening to them wheeze away. Also without mentioning the fact that modern doctors are taught to do diagnosis based on observation, and it's been a long part of Persian & Chinese medicine (which isn't all bad, despite being full of superstition).
Oh, and should I mention that none of the tests have any control groups?
The so-called psychics are doing slightly better than pure random chance would suggest, but giving the selective editing, this is hardly surprising. Importantly, none of them are breezing through - all of the psychics have had major stumbles.
The highlight of the show is when one of the contestants gets eliminated; they were asked at the start of the season to write down a list of who they expected to win, and each of the eliminated contestants has picked themselves so far. ;)
Posted by: Bartlettman | August 6, 2008 6:04 PM
Woohoo! Skeptics win! Thanks Pzed!
Posted by: Daniel D. Brown | August 6, 2008 6:07 PM
I think polls showing the percentages of people believing in silly myths and magical thinking shall be the death of me
*sigh*
At least we've upped the number of skeptics in the poll - unfortunately, it doesn't what people actually think and believe.
Posted by: Matt | August 6, 2008 6:20 PM
Skeptics at 61% now. And I voted 5 times. Talk about jackass polling. (Then again, maybe I'm the bigger jackass for spending an extra 5 seconds voting repeatedly.)
Posted by: Monado | August 6, 2008 6:54 PM
61% skeptics. I voted once.
Posted by: Rob Davidson | August 6, 2008 7:04 PM
As long as you don't force us to "Americanize" (wow, it's hard to write that "ize" without flinching) our spelling with all those "zees", you may occasionally be permitted to spell sceptic with a k. We Aussies might deign to tolerate it sometimes.
Posted by: Mike Haubrich, FCD | August 6, 2008 7:17 PM
Rob (#93)- English was a mess until Noah Webster, an American, cleaned it up a bit. It was getting to be a bit, too, Frenchified. "Centre." "Theatre" When I read "sceptic" I pronounce "septic" which is how the rules of pronunciation dictate. And I would rather not see myself as a "septic." I voted that I am one, and the good team is ahead %62 - %38.
Posted by: Kimpatsu | August 6, 2008 7:51 PM
62% in our favour as of now.
Posted by: Muzz | August 6, 2008 10:04 PM
I would think that PZ's readership is rivalling the population of Australia these days.
Posted by: Douglas Franklin | August 6, 2008 10:08 PM
I'm coming to the party late, but it's 63% for the good guys (that's us!)
Dr, you don't understand the power that you have... continue using it wisely to fight the bad guys.
Posted by: shonny | August 6, 2008 10:13 PM
HOI, MATE! Are you calling us (PZ's readership) SHEEP??
Sheep are overwhelmingly populating Australia, and a fair percentage walk on two legs.
Posted by: Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT | August 6, 2008 10:17 PM
Oh how witty!
Posted by: Muzz | August 6, 2008 10:23 PM
I would not have thought suggestions (jokes my be too strong a word I guess) that Australia has a small population or PZ has a large readership would be at all controversial.
Posted by: Bride of Shrek OM | August 6, 2008 10:48 PM
As a card carrying member of the Aussie Sc/keptiv Society I thoroughly recommend you all get your bums over there and do Dr Bob's quiz on a monthly basis. It's a hoot, actually quite educational in a quirky way and you can say "fuck" in your answers and get away with it.
http://www.skeptics.com.au
Given the winners are picked more on humour based answers than actual knowledge feel free to be as witty as possible. I won one of the months back in 2005 and, along with my Molly, stands as the greatest single moment of my life...sob.
Posted by: Colin | August 6, 2008 11:48 PM
Aussies aren't into psychics and superstition. The Aussies who watch that show would be, and they'd be the only ones who'd heard of the poll to start with. That's why the initial results were so skewed. (Or should that be scewed?)
And Mike (#94), if you'd rather not be referred to as a "septic" that could be a problem. I mean, given the popular rhyming slang for Yanks in these parts!
Posted by: Charlie Foxtrot | August 6, 2008 11:56 PM
*poing*! *cavort*! *caper*!
This damn poll has been bugging me for weeks, ever since I saw Phil mention it on Bad Astronomy. Its been like a seed stuck between my teeth, seeing thousands of 'believers' votes sitting there, begging for a damn good pharyngulation.
It does my heart good to see the forces of reason rally to the flag and trounce the hordes of fuzzy-thinkers - well, on a pointless poll, anyway :)
Oh, and cudos to all those aussie skeptics who kept the pressure on in the show's comments section.
Posted by: David | August 7, 2008 1:39 AM
freelunch asks "So, why didn't they bother to invent their own spellings like we did?"
The answer is simple, freelunch: we Australians are pretty lazy, and didn't feel like it was worth the effort. (It would've cut into our beer-drinking time, for a start.)
Posted by: Donovan | August 7, 2008 2:55 AM
I like how they say 'believer' or 'sceptic.' Do you think mental magic is real, or are you uncertain? (I know "sceptic" means disbelief, but it's not an exact synonym. Why not just ask, "Do you believe? 1-Y / 2-N?" This IS a leading question... anyhow, my post continues) What about a third choice: "You people have probably destroyed half the planet's exotic plant species sucking their burning embers through a bong looking for the high that would make you think this mental voodoo is real. Quit being stupid!" I'd have voted #3.
Posted by: Afro Spaulding | August 7, 2008 5:49 AM
I'm sitting here knocking back Coops sparkling and continually voting for the septics. I know a sad way to spend the night.
Currently at 65/35 in favour of the septics, still voting :)
Posted by: scienceteacherinexile | August 7, 2008 6:03 AM
65% Skeptic
35% woo
Posted by: Kel | August 7, 2008 6:52 AM
It's viewers of Channel 7, of course the figures are going to be positive. The c