Download - Day 8: Public Opinion Polls
The Internet & Public OpinionPolls
Here’s What’s Going On.
• Go over Internet Activity fromyesterday.
• Then, talking about the Internet.
• Then, chatting about public opinionpolls.
• Last, a special surprise.
So, what was the point ofyesterday?
• Websites can look legit, but aren’t.
• Pay attention to who made the website(candy association telling you about thenutritional value of candy?)
• Just because it says that it has been updated,doesn’t mean it has.
• Use Google and other resources to discovermore information about any organization
A Quick Word AboutWikipedia…
• NOT an authoritative source
• HOWEVER, it can be very useful– Good starting point
– Check the sources cited at the bottom forgood resources
Future of the Internet andPolitics?
• Obama Campaign– Mobilize large number of people cheaply
– YouTube = free advertising
– Fact checking
– Spreading the message across socialnetworks (Facebook, Myspace etc.)
– More efficient communication
Public Opinion Polls
• Why use public opinion polls?– Candidates want to discover public
preferences
– Political analysts want to know about publicopinion
– Media find it to be an interesting story
Types of Polls
• Straw– Attempt to discover the public’s opinion by
asking the same question to a largenumber of people
– Common on TV, talk radio & Internet
• Scientific poll– Valid questions!
– Random sample
– Large sample
5 steps to conducting ascientific poll
1. Define the population to be polled.
2. Construct a sample.
3. Prepare valid questions.
4. Select and control the means by whichthe poll will be taken
5. Report your findings
Avoiding “Bad” Questions
• Double negative– An affirmative constructed from two
negatives
– Ex. “I did not want to not go to the store.”
– Better = “I wanted to go to the store.”
Avoiding “Bad” Questions
• Double-barreled– A pair of options is offered but the
response alternatives are only “Yes” or“No”
– Ex. “Did you vote in the 2004 and the 2006election?”
– How can we make this better?
Avoiding “Bad” Questions
• Leading– Initial phrase leads respondent by
suggesting the position of an authority withwhich it might be difficult to disagree.
– Ex. “Do you support President Bush’sdecision to send additional troops to Iraq?”
– Better = “Do you favor or oppose sendingadditional troops to Iraq?”
Avoiding “Bad” Questions
• Question order– The order of questions may be designed to
“lead” the respondent to a certainpredictable response.
Avoiding “Bad” Questions
• Unbalanced questions– Do not equally represent two sides of an
issue
– Ex. “Do you support the United Statestaking military action against Iraq?”
– Better = “Do you support or oppose theUnited States taking military action againstIraq?”
Avoiding “Bad” Questions
• Complex language– Questions are worded awkwardly or use
highly specific or technical language
– Ex. “Do you think Congress should passlegislation to facilitate single-payer costreimbursement plans for indigent patients?”