Distinction Between Data Scientists and Pollsters

Data scientists and pollsters serve different roles in the realm of data analysis, particularly in elections. While pollsters possess extensive expertise in their field, data scientists, like those at The Washington Post, often work with data that is handed to them without a preconceived hypothesis. This results in data scientists engaging in exploratory analysis to uncover interesting insights from the available election data. Ultimately, this fundamental difference underscores the contrasting approaches to data interpretation in political contexts.