How can you tell if opinion polls are biased? It's not always easy to tell. What clues should you look for?

Question

Because next year is an election year, I really want to know the answer to this question. Normally, I can tell if an opinion poll is biased ...... but not always. It's not always easy to tell. Not too long ago, I received a phone call, from someone conducting a political opinion poll. I don't remember much of what this person asked. But, 1 question I do remember this person asking ( I don't recall her entire question.) was something like, "Do you usually vote liberal or conservative?"; the question was either that or "Do you consider yourself a liberal or conservative"? I didn't really know how to answer this person.
I'm liberal on some issues, moderate on others and I am conservative on certain issues, as well. Well, I answered the question the best I could.

That's a perfect example of a biased, skewed question. That time, I knew it was. But other times, I'm not as sure about whether a question is biased or not. So, I'm just wondering, what clues should you look for ?

Answer 1

I am a CYNIC +++ when queried in any poll
Who is paying the piper
Or what is the gain to the asker
Is the question clearly put and defined
Is there a "loaded" presupposition in the format
Is the organization in good standing
Can the finding be unduly sensationalized
Are the questions when posed to others be such an embarrassment as to elicit a false defensive answer ,as a poll is a communal thing are as such can "take on a life of it's own"
Is the substance over trivial

Answer 2

I guess the best way is to see if you are "pushed" in a specific direction. The classic slanted question is, "If I were to tell you that Candidate A approved of putting puppies in the gas chamber to die, how would that affect your vote?" Well, the question doesn't come out and say Candidate A wants to do it, but it makes the listener get that impression. "Push polling" is probably the most obvious method of creating bias in a poll.

Interestingly, the question "do you consider yourself a liberal or conversative?" isn't exactly biased. It's a pretty standard way of categorizing a voter. You are like me in having trouble with it, and we'd be tempted to say "none of the above." That doesn't make the question a poor one, though.

Answer 3

I still can think for myself. Opinion polls mean nothing to me.