Is anybody else tired of how polls are reported?

[no1tovote4]

I read one today that asked, "If Bush lied to get us into war in Iraq, should he be Impeached?"

Okay, this is an 'if' but it is presented in the Media as "over 50% believe Bush should be impeached!"

I could write an equivalent question, "If Hillary Clinton were a spy for the North Koreans should she be held accountable?"

So what do you all think? We can report our results as news, Rueters might even print it!

 

[Mr. P]

Polls have become a manipulation tool, used by politicians, marketers and the media.

 

[insein]

This is why i dont believe in polls. I used to shrug them off as complete farcities that are about as useful as toilet paper ads. However, when you think about how many people believe the reports of these polls, it is a scary propaganda tool.

Like no1 said up top, You can ask a question like "If GWB killed several children and then raped a bunch of women, should he be impeached?" If the results say 90% yes, then itll be reported in a front page news story as "90% of people think Bush should be impeached."

Polls are very dangerous because they can manipulate the minds of the people.

 

[Mr. P]

This is why i dont believe in polls. I used to shrug them off as complete farcities that are about as useful as toilet paper ads. However, when you think about how many people believe the reports of these polls, it is a scary propaganda tool.

Like no1 said up top, You can ask a question like "If GWB killed several children and then raped a bunch of women, should he be impeached?" If the results say 90% yes, then itll be reported in a front page news story as "90% of people think Bush should be impeached."

Polls are very dangerous because they can manipulate the minds of the people.

Yep.

 

[Jimmyeatworld]

I've never been a big fan of polls to begin with. Yeah, it can be fun to look at the results of some polls, but there is far too much importance put on them, especially considering the polls you most often hear about are the CBS/New York Times polls. You can imagine the heavy Liberal participation there.

As far as the way the polls are reported, a lot of it is just for the headline readers, the people who read the headline but don't bother reading much or any of the story. Luckily, I think there are fewer of these people than there used to be.

 

[Bullypulpit]

I find it amusing how the opinions about polls shift when the numbers go against Dubbyuh's administration.

 

[Avatar4321]

I find it amusing how the opinions about polls shift when the numbers go against Dubbyuh's administration.

I find it amusing that you somehow have short term memory problems or you would remember we have been complaining about poll manipulation since President Bush was over 60%. We are just getting really tired of it now.

 

[Jimmyeatworld]

I find it amusing how the opinions about polls shift when the numbers go against Dubbyuh's administration.

I find it amusing that I've had my opinion on polls for several years, but you think it has to do with President Bush.

 

[theHawk]

Yup remember the exit polls from the last election?

:rotflmao:

 

[no1tovote4]

I find it amusing how the opinions about polls shift when the numbers go against Dubbyuh's administration.

I find it amusing that you keep getting your ass handed to you when you make idiotic statements like this one based on your own stereotypical prejudice and not on any actionable data.

:rotflmao:

I also love the way you ignore the fact that it is a push-poll question when you give 'if then' statements and the data gleaned are not actionable.

So, Do you think that if Ted Kennedy is found to have spied for China that he should be held accountable?

(When you say yes I get to report that, "90% say Ted Kennedy should be held responsible for espionage for China!")

 

[Adam's Apple]

Polls have become a manipulation tool, used by politicians, marketers and the media.

Exactly. When I was in college, the professor brought in a large jar full of slips of paper on which were typed speech topics and the type of speech that was to be given on that topic. We were to reach in the jar and take one of these slips of paper as we left class. The topic I got was polls, and my speech was to be an expose them. I didn't know "beans" about polls or polling at the time, and the research I did to give that speech was a real eye-opener. It's all in the wording, and you can get any result you want by using the right wording. Pollsters know that, and they use polls very successfully to promote a particular "product" they want people to "buy". I don't pay much attention to polls as a result of this experience. You're only getting the message that the pollster or whoever commissioned the poll wants you to get.

 

[dilloduck]

Exactly. When I was in college, the professor brought in a large jar full of slips of paper on which were typed speech topics and the type of speech that was to be given on that topic. We were to reach in the jar and take one of these slips of paper as we left class. The topic I got was polls, and my speech was to be an expose them. I didn't know "beans" about polls or polling at the time, and the research I did to give that speech was a real eye-opener. It's all in the wording, and you can get any result you want by using the right wording. Pollsters know that, and they use polls very successfully to promote a particular "product" they want people to "buy". I don't pay much attention to polls as a result of this experience. You're only getting the message that the pollster or whoever commissioned the poll wants you to get.

Ditto--political polls are designed to establish a summation of how people think so any subsequent action appears to be doing what a majority of people want to happen. The only problem is that this summation of what people think is a contrived and inaccurate picture of what America really wants. Any corporate enterprise trying to make a profit would NEVER rely on poll information gathered and interpreted in such a fashion.