Image of the day

Captured by
Terry Wood

Jupiter (clearer) Nov 5th 2023 w/Mewlon 180c

My Account

New to Astromart?

Register an account...

Need Help?

McCain Gains in Key Battleground States!

Started by James G, 07/25/2008 12:38AM
Posted 07/25/2008 12:38AM | Edited 07/25/2008 12:41AM Opening Post
Despite Obama`s world tour, McCain`s the one who is getting a bounce right now and gaining in many key polls - Nat. and State.

Yesterday, it was OH...Today:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/07/24/ST2008072401398.html
Posted 07/25/2008 04:19AM | Edited 07/25/2008 04:24AM #1
Looks like the poll was engineered to get the desired results.

One of the leading questions was about offshore drilling -- and the question was phrased in such a flowery way as to make people think it would solve all our energy woes tomorrow. No mention of any possible alternative course. Efficiency, conservation, alternative energies were all off the table. Why?

The phrasing of the Iraq question was engineered as well, without allowing for a range of alternative possibilities -- one of the choices was withdraw 'immediately' -- you throw the word into 'immediately' into any proposal and most people will say no. If you had asked the same question but said something like 'establish a timetable' vs. 'stay in Iraq indefinitely'... you'd get a different answer.

Similarly if you'd ask to compare 'promote alternative energy technologies, greater efficiency and conservation' vs. 'increase fossil fuel production and risk more dramatic climate change', you would have gotten pretty different proportion of answers again... maybe not a full-blown switch for some states but you'd definitely get movement in the %ages yes/no etc... and have set a different mood for the survey. Phrasing is everything, at least as much as the choice of lead-up questions itself. Language and context often affects how people on (or near) the fence think. That's why we have rhetoric.

Also keep in mind many of these polls only poll people on land-line telephones. That weeds out a lot of younger voters who are increasingly reliant on cell phones and don't even both with a land line anymore.