It seems to me so many people form their opinions based on what the Nightly News on NBC tells them. Tim Russert said before the 2004 elections that for Americans to be truly educated on issues and be qualified to answer political opinion polls they need to listen not to one network's news but read newspapers, use the Internet, listen to radio, and listen to some of the cable TV channels like CNN and FoxNews to have an informed opinion. I got a survey the other day from the DNC. The questions were so skewed that I answered most of them "Not Sure'. I suspect the RNC's surveys are the same.
2007-03-15 03:42:25 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Other - Politics & Government
Opinion polls do have a tendency to lead the poll taker to the desired end result. I think people understand the issues, some more than others, but I suspect most don't take the time to actually read the question and understand what it is saying, as you have acknowledged.
2007-03-15 03:49:38 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The founding fathers believed that individuals would educate themselves and make rational decisions based on the information available. We have a breakdown of personal responsibility in our society that extends into the information arena. Individuals will demand the right to vote without realizing the concurrent responsibility associated therewith. The information is out there, most do not read it. How many people actually read a party platform? How many watch debates? It is important to me to get all viewpoints. Do I think others do that? Many do, many do not. Does that skew the polls? Like it or not quality polls are an accurate reflection of the views of Americans.
There are independent pollsters out there who try to word questions accurately to gain accurate information. There are also partisan polls searching for a particular result to a poll.
Just as many get their news only from the networks, others get it only from commercials or The 700 Club. We need to learn to take a critical look at whatever information is presented and form our own opinions as to the reliability of the information based on the context and the source. Schools do not teach these skills and they should.
2007-03-15 03:55:23 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Some people may believe NBC others FOX. Don't underestimate the American electorate. We have opinions and not all are based on talking heads. Our own experiences weigh heavily on what we tell polls. I knew a fellow who would lie to the polls all the time. He said that they didn't need to know what he was really thinking. He thought if enough people did that then the polls would be wrong more than right and thus be useless. I told him lying is too hard because you have to remember what you said. If you tell the truth it is easier to stick with the story. Besides if he doesn't want to give his opinion he can opt out. I think it was more of a game.
No poll is perfect, of course. Some polling companies are better than others. Generally I have found them to be relatively accurate. Exceptions are when parties or definately bias entities do their poll than, of course, they will get the results desired by the people they work for.
2007-03-15 03:50:50 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are poles and there are poles. The type political parties send to constituents like you, are not designed to gather information but to tell you what answer they think is correct. No one even reads those results.
There are poles designed to mislead in order to get the desired answer. Many of the news media do these type of news creating poles.
But there are a few real honest and scientific poles. One of these it called the "Battleground Pole". It is the most accurate public opinion pole. It is used primarily by political parties to get real information about how there message is being received by the public.
It used to be that pole results were reported as news. Now news media is using their own poles to create news.
Don't believe the hype, it's deceitful.
2007-03-15 04:10:47 · answer #4 · answered by Jacob W 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Most people don't even know enough to understand that they don't know enough.
I think that most people tend to latch onto whatever opinion reaches them first through whatever media they have access to. But in their defense, it is about two full time jobs to keep up with actually facts on issue, decipher them from BS, and then formulate an opinion based on that.
2007-03-15 03:51:34 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
as I've said a million times, polls are designed to get the results they want.
I'd be curious to see the poll questions and answers provided to you. Is there any way you can post them? (scanned pic, perhaps)
2007-03-15 03:48:21 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋