Polls by AnthonyT

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Polls

POSTED BY: ANTHONYT
UPDATED: Saturday, May 13, 2006 14:22
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Wednesday, May 10, 2006 1:39 PM

Freedom is Important because People are Important

Polls.

They are supposed to indicate the opinions of a nation, but frequently they merely indicate the effectiveness of spin and the ignorance of those polled.

A good example of this was displayed on the Penn and Teller cable show Bull-Manure.

A representative of the show camped at an environmental rally and took signatures for a petition to ban Di-Hydrogen Monoxide. Di-Hydrogen Monoxide is a substance used in every industry, and exposure to this chemical was responsible for over 3,000 deaths in the year 2000.

That's the spin.

Virtually everyone signed the petition. Almost everyone agreed that Di-Hydrogen Monoxide was a dangerous chemical that ought to be banned.

Which might make them sad the next time they grab a bottle of Dasani or want to take a shower... Or desire to live more than 3 days.

A poll itself can be worded in such a way as to garner specific results. "Are you concerned about inflation?" I know I am. Inflation sounds bad. Don't want that.

A better question might be, "How would you rate the level of inflation in the US this year?" With answers like, "Not enough, About right, and Too much."

Or "Do you feel the rate of inflation has been improving over the past decade?"

Of course, we might want to have a question before that one that says, "What is inflation?" with five possible answers under it. Just so we can be sure the respondant knows what the heck he is talking about.

I think polls are mainly good for judging the effectiveness of advertisements (spin) and promoting an agenda by wording the poll in such a way as to get the response you want, and then using the results in advertisements (spin.)

What do you all think about polls and their effectiveness?

--Anthony

"Liberty must not be purchased at the cost of Humanity." --Captain Robert Henner

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Wednesday, May 10, 2006 2:34 PM

CITIZEN

In order to give good answers people need to be informed.

More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
And as you know, these are open forums, you're able to come and listen to what I have to say.

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Wednesday, May 10, 2006 4:31 PM

RUE

I have a vote and I'm not afraid to use it!

I've actually spent a fair bit of time scanning different news sources and polls.

What I've found is that poll responses are based on the average US news source. With CBS ("See BS") as a basis (for example), you can predict what opinions people will have. (If you look at an unusual news source like AFP or UPI, it has a different focus and creates a different response.)

And maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I find that since Air America started broadcasting, the supposed news that previously went unchecked and unchallenged is getting more scrutiny in the general news media. And that is reflected in the polls.

Nearly everything I know I learned by the grace of others.

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Thursday, May 11, 2006 9:02 PM

RIVER6213

oops!

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Thursday, May 11, 2006 9:03 PM

RIVER6213

Quote:
Originally posted by citizen:
In order to give good answers people need to be informed.

More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
And as you know, these are open forums, you're able to come and listen to what I have to say.

Be really silent poppie.

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Thursday, May 11, 2006 9:22 PM

SASSALICIOUS

I think the results of a poll are greatly influenced by how the question is framed. This has been seen again and again, most recently regarding the wiretaps. In the article I read, the result of the poll was entirely based on whether the question was framed in the context of "war on terror" or "listening to the conversations of american citizens".

I think there was a study done on polls awhile ago and during the study a question regarding the Holocaust was framed in such a way that close to 30% of people polled (it may have been higher) said that the Holocaust never happened. Then later the same people were blatantly asked something along the lines of "Do you believe that Hitler executed millions of Jewish people in concentration camps" and only 2% or so said no.

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Saturday, May 13, 2006 9:04 AM

STILLFLYIN

Polls are also biased in the way that they are carried out. One person standing a mall somewhere, for example, is a very ineffective way to conduct a poll that would be used to display the feelings of a population. In order to make a valid statment from a poll, it would have to be made from a sample taken completly at random from the population and the questions would have to be worded in such a way that they are as neutral as possible.

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Saturday, May 13, 2006 9:25 AM

EVILDINOSAUR

Polls are just another form of statistics, and this quote (which came from a statistics book) is quite true...

"There are 3 kinds of lies; lies, damned lies, and statistics."

Polls are completely useless for the most part you are correct. The questions are usually posed in order to get the desired answer. I don't even think it has to be a concious effort. If a person is performing a poll and looking for a certain answer, they will unconciously phrase the question in a way that makes their desired answer sound best. Just another one of those fun quirks of human nature. This is of course not to say that there aren't those who conciously come up with misleading questions :)

"Haha, mine is an evil laugh."

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Saturday, May 13, 2006 10:03 AM

CITIZEN

Quote:
Originally posted by RiveR6213:
Be really silent poppie.

If I've said it once I've said it a thousand times, I want to be called Honey, not poppie.

More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
And as you know, these are open forums, you're able to come and listen to what I have to say.

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Saturday, May 13, 2006 10:31 AM

OLDENGLANDDRY

9 out of ten people I've spoken to prefer Polls to Czecks.
See now THATS spin.

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Saturday, May 13, 2006 2:22 PM

SIMONWHO

That's nonsense, everyone loves a Czech mate.

As for polls, the reputable companies that do polls ask the same questions again and again - if there was an election tomorrow..., how optimistic are you that...., do you believe that homosexual marriage is...

A single poll, especially on a new issue, rather worthless but everyone knows that anyway. Or at least 93% of people doing according to the latest research...

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