Facebook polls let you ask your friends or followers a question with preset answer choices, and Facebook stores the data from every response
A Facebook poll is a post where you offer two to four answer options and people tap to vote. Facebook records who voted, what they chose, and when — that data stays in Facebook's systems whether the poll stays public or you delete it later. Creating a poll takes about two minutes and works on both the Facebook website and the mobile app.
The poll itself is visible to whoever you set as the audience (friends, a specific group, or public), but Facebook always sees the full results and the individual responses. This matters because Facebook uses poll data to build a profile of your interests and preferences, the same way it uses likes, comments, and the posts you read but never engage with.
Key Takeaways
- Facebook polls are created from your News Feed or a group page by clicking "Poll" in the post composer, adding your question and two to four answer options.
- Facebook records every individual vote, not just the total count, and keeps that data even if you delete the poll or your account.
- The people who see your poll depend on your privacy settings, but Facebook itself always has access to the full voting record.
- Poll data contributes to Facebook's understanding of your interests and is used to target ads to you and to others based on similar behavior patterns.
How to create a poll on your personal timeline
Open Facebook on your computer or phone. On a computer, go to your News Feed and look for the post composer at the top — it usually says "What's on your mind?" Click inside that box. On a phone, tap the "+" icon or the text field that says "What's on your mind?"
Once the composer opens, look for a row of icons below the text field. On a computer, you will see icons for photo, video, feeling/activity, poll, and more. Click the poll icon (it usually looks like a bar chart or ballot box). On a phone, tap the three dots or "More" option and select "Poll" from the menu.
Type your question in the field that appears. Then add your answer options — Facebook gives you two boxes to start. Type the first answer in the first box and the second answer in the second box. If you want a third or fourth option, click "Add Option" and type the new answer. You can have up to four options total.
Before you post, check who will see it. Look for the privacy button (usually near the bottom of the composer) and choose "Friends," "Public," or a specific group or list. Then click "Post" or the checkmark. Your poll is now live, and people can vote by tapping an answer.
How to create a poll in a Facebook group
Open the group where you want to post the poll. Click in the post composer at the top of the group's feed. The process is the same as on your timeline: look for the poll icon, click it, add your question and answers, and post.
Group polls follow the group's privacy rules. If the group is private, only members see the poll. If the group is public, anyone can see it. The group admin can also delete polls or restrict who can create them, so check the group's rules first if you are unsure whether polls are allowed.
What Facebook records when someone votes on your poll
Facebook stores the name or profile of every person who votes, which answer they chose, and the exact time they voted. This is true even if you set the poll to "hidden results" — that setting only hides the vote count from other people viewing the poll, not from Facebook itself. Facebook keeps this record indefinitely, even if you delete the poll or deactivate your account.
Facebook uses this voting data the same way it uses likes, comments, and page visits: to build a detailed profile of your interests. If you vote on a poll about fitness, Facebook notes that. If you vote on a poll about parenting, Facebook notes that too. Over time, these votes become part of the pattern Facebook uses to decide which ads to show you and which audiences to recommend to advertisers.
If your poll is public or visible to a large audience, Facebook may also use the aggregate results (the total votes per answer, not individual names) to understand trends among your friends or followers. This helps Facebook's algorithm decide what kinds of posts to show in people's feeds.
Who can see your poll and the results
The audience for your poll depends on the privacy setting you chose when you posted it. If you set it to "Friends," only your friends see the poll and can vote. If you set it to "Public," anyone on Facebook can see it and vote. If you posted it in a group, the group's privacy rules explore.
The results are visible to whoever can see the poll itself — they see the vote count and which answers are winning. If you set the poll to "hidden results," the vote count stays hidden from viewers until the poll closes or you manually reveal the results, but Facebook still sees the individual votes.
You can change the audience after posting by clicking the three dots on the poll and selecting "Edit Privacy." You can also delete the poll entirely, which removes it from view but does not erase Facebook's record of the votes.
How poll data affects the ads you see
Every poll vote you cast tells Facebook something about your interests, and Facebook uses that information to show you more targeted ads. If you vote "yes" on a poll about whether you like cooking, Facebook may start showing you ads for kitchen equipment, recipe apps, or cooking classes. If you vote on a poll about travel, you might see ads for airlines or hotels.
This targeting also works in reverse: advertisers can ask Facebook to show ads to people who have voted a certain way on polls or engaged with certain types of content. So if an advertiser wants to reach people interested in fitness, they can ask Facebook to target people who have voted on fitness-related polls, liked fitness pages, or visited fitness websites.
You cannot opt out of Facebook recording your poll votes, but you can limit how much data Facebook collects by adjusting your ad preferences. Go to Settings, then Ads, then Ad Preferences. There you can see the interests Facebook has assigned to you based on your activity (including polls) and remove some of them. This does not stop Facebook from collecting the data, but it can reduce the number of targeted ads you see based on that data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see who voted for which answer on my poll?
Yes, if you created the poll. Click on the poll and tap or click each answer option to see the names of people who voted for it. Other people cannot see individual votes unless you are in a private conversation or a closed group where you have permission to view that level of detail.
What happens to my poll data if I delete my Facebook account?
Facebook keeps the poll data in its systems even after you delete your account. Your name may be removed from public view, but the voting patterns and aggregate data remain part of Facebook's databases and may be used for trend analysis or research.
Can I edit a poll after I post it?
You cannot change the question or the answer options once the poll is live. You can only delete it and create a new one. If people have already voted, those votes are recorded and cannot be changed or removed by editing.
Do polls count as engagement the same way likes and comments do?
Yes. Facebook's algorithm treats poll votes as a form of engagement, similar to likes and comments. Polls that get more votes are more likely to appear in other people's feeds, which can increase the visibility of your post.
Can I create a poll with more than four answer options?
No. Facebook limits polls to a maximum of four answer options. If you need more options, you would need to use a different tool or create multiple polls.