What gay marriage polls really seek to achieve

SEB10

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May 25, 2012
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Have any of you ever really paid attention to the wording of gay marriage polls? Most of them basically ask, "do you support the right of same-sex couples to marry?" But when you think about it, the way people respond to that question is being used to gauge support for something deeper than that.

The point with these polls isn't to determine the popularity of gay marriage; it's to determine how much support gay marriage advocates have in trying to legalize it through the courts.

Notice how Gallup/Pew/Quinnipiac and these other polling institutions never ask something like, "do you believe legal marriage should only be defined as the union of a man and woman?" or "do you believe there is a constitutional right to same-sex marriage?" These questions would actually be more relevant to where the issue is now than the preferential version commonly used. Also notice how no one in the media ever mentions the unlikelihood of the Supreme Court effectively nullifying over thirty state constitutional amendments and the laws in over a half dozen other states just because of some optimistic polls showing a majority of Americans support it.

Reason being, they want to conflate acceptance of gay marriage with acceptance of judicial fiat in enacting broad-sweeping social policy. They hope to use these polls as cover to game the judicial system into legalizing it, much in the same way the legal system was gamed to legalize abortion.
 
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Have any of you ever really paid attention to the wording of gay marriage polls? Most of them basically ask, "do you support the right of same-sex couples to marry?" But when you think about it, the way people respond to that question is being used to gauge support for something deeper than that. [...]

Notice how Gallup/Pew/Quinnipiac and these other polling institutions never ask something like, "do you believe legal marriage should only be defined as the union of a man and woman?" or "do you believe there is a constitutional right to same-sex marriage?" These questions would actually be more relevant to where the issue is now than the preferential version commonly used.

Not sure I follow you. Gallup doesn't ask how you feel about same sex marriage as an abstract concept, it asks whether same sex marriage should be legally recognized.

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Have any of you ever really paid attention to the wording of gay marriage polls? Most of them basically ask, "do you support the right of same-sex couples to marry?" But when you think about it, the way people respond to that question is being used to gauge support for something deeper than that.

The point with these polls isn't to determine the popularity of gay marriage; it's to determine how much support gay marriage advocates have in trying to legalize it through the courts.

Notice how Gallup/Pew/Quinnipiac and these other polling institutions never ask something like, "do you believe legal marriage should only be defined as the union of a man and woman?" or "do you believe there is a constitutional right to same-sex marriage?" These questions would actually be more relevant to where the issue is now than the preferential version commonly used. Also notice how no one in the media ever mentions the unlikelihood of the Supreme Court effectively nullifying over thirty state constitutional amendments and the laws in over a half dozen other states just because of some optimistic polls showing a majority of Americans support it.

Reason being, they want to conflate acceptance of gay marriage with acceptance of judicial fiat in enacting broad-sweeping social policy. They hope to use these polls as cover to game the judicial system into legalizing it, much in the same way the legal system was gamed to legalize abortion.

I have no problem with the wording. Your way is leading, forcing one to either make a value judgement or turn into a Constitutional scholar. 'Support' IS the correct way to put it.
 
One would think that without 75% support either way, it should remain a State Issue, until it is resolved. By design, original intent, it would take an Amendment, not the Courts to set things straight. :D
 
It's unfair that the pollsters use the word "right". Be much more fair to ask, "Do you support laws that let gay people marry?
 
Have any of you ever really paid attention to the wording of gay marriage polls? Most of them basically ask, "do you support the right of same-sex couples to marry?" But when you think about it, the way people respond to that question is being used to gauge support for something deeper than that.

The point with these polls isn't to determine the popularity of gay marriage; it's to determine how much support gay marriage advocates have in trying to legalize it through the courts.

Notice how Gallup/Pew/Quinnipiac and these other polling institutions never ask something like, "do you believe legal marriage should only be defined as the union of a man and woman?" or "do you believe there is a constitutional right to same-sex marriage?" These questions would actually be more relevant to where the issue is now than the preferential version commonly used. Also notice how no one in the media ever mentions the unlikelihood of the Supreme Court effectively nullifying over thirty state constitutional amendments and the laws in over a half dozen other states just because of some optimistic polls showing a majority of Americans support it.

Reason being, they want to conflate acceptance of gay marriage with acceptance of judicial fiat in enacting broad-sweeping social policy. They hope to use these polls as cover to game the judicial system into legalizing it, much in the same way the legal system was gamed to legalize abortion.

I have no problem with the wording. Your way is leading, forcing one to either make a value judgement or turn into a Constitutional scholar. 'Support' IS the correct way to put it.

Well about 20% of that 'support' translates into voting AGAINST gay marriage when it is on the ballot.

So whatever you think 'support' means, it doesnt translate into anything like a majority in the democratic process.
 

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