exit poll

This term is specific to political science and journalism, describing a predictive tool used to forecast election results before official counts are finalized. It carries a connotation of immediacy and anticipation, often used in high-stakes media broadcasts to create tension or provide early analysis of voter behavior.

Because it refers to a specific methodology of data collection, it is distinct from a general opinion poll, which measures sentiment before the act of voting. In professional contexts, the accuracy of an exit poll is often debated based on the representativeness of the sample of voters interviewed.