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Can I create anonymous poll on WhatsApp?

WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion monthly active users worldwide. Its ubiquity and ease of use make it a convenient platform for communicating with friends, family, coworkers, and more.

One feature that WhatsApp lacks compared to other messaging platforms is the ability to create polls that allow for anonymous responses. Users may wish to create anonymous polls for sensitive topics or to solicit unbiased opinions from their contacts. However, WhatsApp’s current poll feature does not support anonymity.

In this article, we’ll look at whether it’s possible to create anonymous polls on WhatsApp and potential workarounds to achieve some level of anonymity when polling WhatsApp contacts.

WhatsApp’s Built-In Poll Feature

WhatsApp has a built-in poll feature that allows users to create simple yes/no or multiple choice polls to send to individual chats or groups.

To create a poll, simply type a question and the desired answer choices, then tap the poll icon (it looks like a bar graph). You can add up to 12 possible responses.

When you send the poll, recipients can tap their choice to vote and see real-time results showing how many people chose each option.

However, WhatsApp’s polls do not allow for anonymous responses – all votes are visible and attributed to each participant’s name. There is no setting to make the poll anonymous or hide voter names.

This makes WhatsApp’s native polls unsuitable if you’re hoping to get unbiased feedback or poll a sensitive topic where anonymity is preferred. Participants may be hesitant to vote truthfully if their choice is public.

Is There Any Way to Make WhatsApp Polls Anonymous?

Unfortunately, WhatsApp does not have a built-in way to make polls anonymous right now. Since all responses are tied to the user’s account and visible to everyone in the chat, there is no simple tweak to hide voter names or make a WhatsApp poll anonymous.

Some creative workarounds have been suggested, like creating a separate group chat for just the poll so responses are anonymous. However, this is still limited anonymity since the poll creator can see who joins the group and votes.

True anonymity would require each participant to create a secondary “burner” account unlinked to their identity solely for responding to the anonymous poll. This is cumbersome and defeats the convenience of using WhatsApp accounts linked to real names and phone numbers.

So in short – no, there is currently no straightforward way to make a poll on WhatsApp anonymous. The platform simply does not support anonymous polling at this time.

Third-Party Apps for Anonymous WhatsApp Polls

While WhatsApp itself does not offer anonymous poll creation, some third-party apps claim to enable anonymous polls and surveys to be sent through WhatsApp. Here are a few options:

Poll Pay

Poll Pay is a polling app that lets you create polls with various options like anonymous responses. You can then share the poll link via WhatsApp to collect anonymous votes.

SurveySparrow

SurveySparrow is a more full-featured survey platform. It allows anonymous surveys that can be sent out via WhatsApp by pasting a link.

TypeForm

TypeForm offers advanced online forms and surveys. Surveys can be shared via WhatsApp link with an anonymous mode enabled.

Woop Polls

Woop Polls touts easy creation of polls and quizzes. Polls can be shared on WhatsApp while keeping participant identities hidden.

Straw

Straw is a simple anonymous voting platform often used for quick decision making. Polls are given unique links that you can then share on WhatsApp.

These third-party services provide more robust survey/poll creation and analysis while offering anonymous options. However, they require participants to click external links and navigate away from WhatsApp, which may limit engagement.

Pros and Cons of Anonymous WhatsApp Polling

While anonymous polling on WhatsApp is possible via third-party tools, here are some pros and cons to weigh:

Pros:

– Get more honest, unbiased feedback by removing peer pressure

– Encourage participation in sensitive/controversial polls

– Avoid embarrassment or repercussions of “public” opinions

– Uncover more critical feedback and insights

Cons:

– Requires extra apps and links outside WhatsApp

– Lower participation since users must take extra steps

– Anonymous input may be low-quality or hard to validate

– Lose the context of knowing who responded

– Potential for abuse without accountability

So anonymous polls can be useful in the right context, but lack the full simplicity and trust of WhatsApp’s linked identities. It depends on your priorities and the sensitivity of the poll topic.

Tips for Anonymous Polling on WhatsApp

If you do decide to use a third-party app for anonymous WhatsApp polling, here are some best practices:

– Clearly communicate that responses are anonymous to encourage participation.

– Share links privately and limit access to the poll to only those you wish to survey.

– Avoid controversial topics that could elicit harmful anonymous feedback.

– Use screening questions to prevent ballots being stuffed by outsiders.

– Keep questions objective and unbiased to get meaningful input.

– Close the poll at a set time and do not leave it open indefinitely.

– Thank participants for providing feedback and share results if appropriate.

Conclusion

WhatsApp currently does not have a native feature for making polls anonymous. While third-party apps provide workarounds, they require leaving WhatsApp and have downsides like lower participation. For sensitive subjects or unfiltered opinions, anonymous polls may be useful despite the extra steps required. But for simpler preference polls, WhatsApp’s built-in non-anonymous polls often suffice. There are merits to both identified and anonymous polling depending on the context and survey goals. Going forward, we may see WhatsApp add more versatility to its polling feature, including anonymous options to give users more flexibility.

Third-Party App Key Features
Poll Pay Create anonymous polls and share via WhatsApp
SurveySparrow Full survey platform with anonymous option
TypeForm Advanced forms and surveys with anonymous mode
Woop Polls Anonymous voting and poll creation
Straw Simple anonymous poll creation and sharing

Pros of Anonymous Polling

  • More honest, unbiased feedback
  • Increased participation in sensitive polls
  • Avoids embarrassment or repercussions
  • Uncovers critical feedback

Cons of Anonymous Polling

  • Requires extra apps outside WhatsApp
  • Lower participation due to extra steps
  • Anonymous input may be low-quality
  • Lose context of who responded
  • Potential for abuse without accountability