How to See Poll Results on Instagram

Running an Instagram poll is a fantastic way to engage your audience, but the real power comes from what you do after the votes are in. Knowing how to find and interpret those results is essential, whether you're trying to decide on your next product or just want to connect with your community. This guide will walk you through exactly how to see your poll results, what to do with them, and how you can check on polls you’ve participated in.

How to See Your Own Instagram Poll Results

Checking the results on a poll you created is simple, both while the Story is live and after it has expired. The process is slightly different for each scenario, so let’s look at both.

Viewing Results on a Live Story (The First 24 Hours)

While your Story is active, you can check the results in real-time to see how people are voting. This is a great way to watch engagement build.

Here’s the step-by-step process:

• Open Instagram: Launch the app and go to your home screen.
• View Your Story: Tap on your profile picture in the top-left corner, which should have a colorful ring around it indicating a live Story.
• Find Your Poll: Tap through your Story slides until you get to the one with the poll sticker.
• Swipe Up: On the poll slide, simply swipe up from the bottom of the screen. You can also tap the "Activity" viewers list in the bottom-left corner.

This action will open up a detailed analytics screen for that specific Story slide. At the top, you'll see the poll interface with a breakdown of the results:

• Vote Count: You’ll see the exact number of votes each option has received.
• Percentage Display: Next to the count, you’ll see the percentage of total votes for each option.
• Voter List: Below the poll summary, Instagram provides a scrollable list showing you exactly who voted for each option, displaying their profile picture and username next to their choice.
• Total Viewers: At the very bottom, you’ll see the complete list of everyone who viewed that Story slide, regardless of whether they voted.

Checking in on this screen periodically during the 24-hour window lets you see how your poll is performing as more of your followers see it.

Viewing Results on an Expired Story (After 24 Hours)

What if your Story has already disappeared? No problem. Instagram automatically saves your Stories to your personal archive, and you can access the poll data there long after the initial 24 hours are up. In fact, the data remains available indefinitely.

Follow these steps to find old poll results:

• Go to Your Profile: Navigate to your main Instagram profile page.
• Open the Menu: Tap the hamburger menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner of your screen.
• Select "Archive": From the menu that appears, tap on "Archive." This will open your content archive.
• Navigate to Stories Archive: At the top of the screen, you might see "Posts Archive" or "Live Archive." Tap on this title and select "Stories Archive" from the dropdown.
• Find Your Story: Your archived Stories are organized by date. Scroll to find the specific day you posted the poll and tap on the corresponding Story.
• Swipe Up: Just like with a live Story, once you’re viewing the archived poll slide, swipe up. You will see the exact same detailed results screen with vote counts, percentages, and the specific list of who voted for which option.

This archive feature is incredible for tracking audience preferences over time or revisiting data from a past campaign without worrying about losing it after a day.

Turning Poll Data into Actionable Insights

Seeing the numbers is just the first step. The real value is in understanding what they mean and using that information to build a stronger connection with your audience and improve your strategy.

Look Beyond the Votes: Viewers vs. Voters

When you swipe up on your poll, you see two key groups of people: the list of everyone who viewed the Story and the more specific list of who actually voted. The difference between these two numbers tells a story.

For example, if 1,000 people viewed your Story but only 50 voted, that's a 5% engagement rate on your poll. This could mean a few things:

• The question wasn’t compelling enough to encourage a tap.
• The poll options were confusing or irrelevant to your audience.
• Your audience isn't used to you posting interactive content.

On the other hand, if 1,000 people viewed your poll and 400 voted (a 40% engagement rate), you know you’ve hit on a topic your audience cares about. This simple calculation helps you figure out what kinds of questions get your community to act.

Leverage the "Who Voted" List

The ability to see the specific users who voted for each option is one of the most powerful - and underrated - features of Instagram polls. This is like having a direct focus group at your fingertips.

Here’s how you can use this voter list:

• Audience Segmentation: Ask a question that divides your audience. For example, a fitness coach could ask, "What’s your goal? Build Muscle / Burn Fat." You now have two distinct lists of followers with specific interests.
• Direct Engagement: Send a follow-up DM to users who voted a certain way. If you asked your followers if they’d be interested in a new product, you can DM the "Yes" voters a week later with a pre-launch discount code. It feels personal and shows you were listening.
• Identify Superfans: Pay attention to the people who consistently vote in your polls. These are some of your most engaged followers. Make a point to interact with their content to nurture that relationship.

How to Share Your Instagram Poll Results

Once your poll has run its course, it's good practice to close the loop and share the final results with your audience. People are naturally curious, and sharing the outcome shows that you value their input. Plus, it’s super easy to do.

Follow these steps:

1. Go to your live or archived Story with the poll.
2. Swipe up to view the results screen.
3. You’ll see a button that says "Share Results." Tap on it.
4. Instagram will automatically generate a new Story slide for you. This slide will contain a sticker showing the final poll results with the winning option highlighted.
5. You can customize this new Story like any other. Add text to thank your audience, drop in a GIF, or explain what you're going to do with the information. For example: "The results are in! You voted for the blue design, so we're getting it into production. Stay tuned!"
6. Post this to your Story.

Sharing results makes your community feel heard and keeps them engaged for the next time you ask for their opinion. It reinforces the idea that their interaction with your brand matters.

Checking Results if You Voted in Someone Else's Poll

What if you're on the other side and just want to see the results of a poll you participated in? The experience is a little different, as you don’t have access to the creator’s full analytics.

• Immediately After Voting: As soon as you tap an option in someone's poll, the sticker will instantly transform to show you the current results as percentages. You will see which option is leading at that exact moment.
• Checking Again Later: While the Story is still live (within its 24-hour window), you can go back and re-watch it. When you get to the poll slide, it will show you the most up-to-date percentages.

However, as a viewer, you cannot see the total number of votes or the specific list of who voted for each option. That information is reserved for the account that created the poll. The best way to see the final, tallied results is to watch the creator’s Stories, as they will often share the final outcome using the "Share Results" feature described above.

Final Thoughts

Using Instagram's poll feature is about more than just numbers, it's a direct line to your audience that provides valuable data for your content strategy, product development, and community building. By regularly checking your results - both live and in your archive - and using that data to inform your decisions, you turn a simple sticker into a powerful marketing tool.

While checking poll results on Instagram is straightforward, growing your brand means tracking engagement and data across all your platforms. At Postbase, we built our Analytics dashboard to give you a clean, simple view of what's working everywhere - from Reels to TikToks to LinkedIn posts - without complicated setups. It's about getting the insights you need to create better content and making the whole process of managing your social presence feel less overwhelming.