popularity contest
noun
: a contest or situation in which the person who wins or is most successful is the one who is most popular rather than the one who is most skillful, qualified, etc.
The election was just a popularity contest. Voters didn't really care about the issues.
—often used to say that someone or something is not popularAfter laying off hundreds of workers, the company isn't going to win any popularity contests around here.
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“Popularity contest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/popularity%20contest. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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