Do you still have a land-line phone?

[zulchzulu]

Coming from a political perspective where polls are conducted over the telephone to those with land-lines, there might be a whole group of peoiple off the polling charts due to using their mobile phone as a primary telephone communication, hence not being tabulated in polling data.

So a simple poll as a snapshot of DU...

[goddess40]

1. Both but thinking of dumping the land line

everyone in the house has a cell now so we are thinking of taking the money we spend on the land line and getting a different plan for the cells.

[Robbien]

2. Huh. Are you the NSA collecting info on which phones they should

concentrate their efforts on?

Kidding. Not really accusing you. It was just my first thought when reading the question. It is getting to be a suspicious world these days.

[murielm99]

3. I have a land line.

They also provide my DSL.

My son has a land line. He seldom uses it, preferring his cell. He says that some places that provide credit require a land line.

[Adelante]

4. I recently went for my very first cell phone

I've since gotten rid of the landline phone and switched to cable Internet from DSL.

[Fovea]

5. I can't use the phone to talk

but I have a land line for the DSL.
I have a mobile text device I use when I am out.

[rinsd]

6. How big an effect would it be anyway? Cellphone only users are a small demographic

[IA_Seth]

16. I think it depends on the demographic of those polled, really.

If you are looking at everyone ages 18-100, both sexes, you are right...it probably isn't a very large piece of the pie.

However, if you are looking at young people, especially the 18-25 set, I'd venture to say that cell-only use is a fairly high percentage.

So when I look at by-phone polling I often try to remember that this is probably more accurate for the older voters than the younger.

Just my take.

[rinsd]

18. Some more info.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3432273&mesg_id=3432273

"However, if you are looking at young people, especially the 18-25 set, I'd venture to say that cell-only use is a fairly high percentage.

So when I look at by-phone polling I often try to remember that this is probably more accurate for the older voters than the younger"

I would agree with the above with just one point to add. During 2004 when young voter turnout was its highest in years, young voters(18 to 29) were around 10% of the electorate (their high was NH around 14%). They were about 17% for the GE.

[zulchzulu]

20. I work with about a dozen people who only have cell phones

Out of the 30 or so staff, about half use only their cell phones and have no land-lines. They are between 20-30...

[ericgtr]

7. Not for much longer

We are getting rid of our landline this month, we rarely use it anymore and it's just about cheaper to have 2 cell phones.

[JTFrog]

8. I'll keep my landline.

And a phone in every bedroom. The wireless connections around here just aren't reliable enough for me. I'd hate to have to call 911 and watch the little no signal lights blipping up and down.

[RushIsRot]

9. I live so deep in the sticks that a land line is my only

connection to the Internet(s). I cannot even get a cell signal in my valley. I am NOT complaining. Just stating facts.

[Ethelk2044]

10. I have one but never been polled.

[sabbat hunter]

11. I have

a cell phone and a VOIP phone

[tularetom]

12. Our house is pretty far outside of town and cell coverage is iffy

so we depend on the land line. Actually its cheaper than the cell service we also carry.

[Auggie]

13. Am I the only one who thinks cell-phone sound quality is terrible?

Or do I have a bad phone?

[Justitia]

15. Nope, I totally agree w/you. I hate talking on my cell, and I have a pretty good one.

The variation in sound quality drives me insane.
When they can give me landline quality on my cell, I'll revisit this issue.

[Adelante]

21. I have a Sony Ericsson

The sound is perfect, but this is my first cell phone so I wouldn't know how to compare.

[Cameron27]

14. I got rid of the landline a few months ago.

[plusfiftyfive]

17. I got rid of my land line 4 years ago

But then my cable company offered me a land-line VOIP (voice over internet protocol) phone with free calls anywhere at anytime to the USA and Canada for $1 a month more for a year. So I took them upon it.
I use it for 800 number calls to businesses that put me on hold, saving minutes on my cell. Other than that, I use the cell, and the quality is good where I live and travel.

[question everything]

19. Not only do I use land line is my primary phone

with cell phones for emergency while away from home or office, I also declined to use the digital phone. Twice in the last couple of months we lost power so I was glad to call the utility company via the land line. Digital would be out.

And, cell towers can go out - as we saw during the blackout of New York in 2003 (I think) - or can be over loaded as we saw just recently after the bridge collapsed in Minneapolis.

[KoKo]

22. I have a Land Line as Primary and a Cell...but I'm starting to get folks calling to Poll me.

I've yet to have a major Polling firm like Rasmussen or Gallup call...but I've had small ones. Seems if one answers one poll your phone number gets passed on to others or maybe it's because I still have a land line.

[ecstatic]

23. Bill collectors and companies get land line/family & close friends get both/ strangers get cell

for personal safety reasons (proliferation of reverse lookup sites).

[Withywindle]

24. I ditched the landline when I got cable internet a few years ago

No reason to pay two phone bills, not in Chicago.

Most of the people I know around here (mid-late 30s) have done the same.

[CTyankee]

25. I thought of this as an issue in 04. I wondered then if the people with cell phones only

were being adequately represented in polls. I remembered the story about the telephone poll in 1948 that predicted that Dewey would win over Truman. It turns out the poll was skewed toward Republicans as they had many more telephones than Democrats, who presumably couldn't afford telephones.

It would be interesting to find out just how many cell phone only voters are out there. Are we missing a big chunk of potential support in these polls?

[MurrayDelph]

26. No single point of failure for me

I have a landline, which I also use for my DSL.
I use a separate provider for my television access.
I have two cellphones: my personal one, and the one my office gave me
(I was laid off earlier this year, and like the fact that I have had the same cell # for 14 years)

Many years ago, my cable company tried to convince me to switch to them for all three services:
tv, phone, and computer. I reminded them of the many outages I had to go through with them over
the years, and the fact that they only refund you for downtime if you call them on it!