Assuming that the company in question is a reputable one, hence the example listed above, it is possible to find out how many people YouGov assign to their panels. In the UK this number totals 200,000. A sizable portion of the voting population, taking into account low turnout numbers in the UK. A wide sample, including different locations and ages, means that the resulting poll will provide a certain indicator of public opinion, and though this may not be exact it is still valuable nonetheless. It would be impossible to say if a resulting poll in America said that Obama led by 4% in the polls, however, if it said that he led by 98% across a nationwide sample of a suitable number in relation to America's population, then this would signal a massive problem for the opposing candidate.

The current polls in America show a close race between Republicans and Democrats. Voters can be assured that their vote will count, which is possibly the most important result that these polls have. Inversely, this may make people turnout who were possibly thinking about abstaining.