I realize it's a bit of a paranoid idea, and you might want to laugh at these people, but I can't blame two senior citizens for believing that something like that could happen. Hasn't CNN threatened to dox people before? I strongly suspect people are now, more than ever, lying to pollsters, because they see businesses burning on the TV, people getting fired, and they're scared that if they answer the wrong way, someone will come after them.
Can we really say that the media conducting these polls are above that?
When someone calls and says they are taking a poll, you have no idea who they are.
Many times they are campaign workers trying to drum up money for their candidate. If you say things to indicate you would vote for their candidate, they hit you up for money.
But in an era where just saying you support the president can result in your firing, is it any wonder why conservatives refuse to participate in polls?