Response Question 2/13/14

Can polls be trusted? Why or why not?

Voters and the power of Polling

The learning process by which people acquire their political beliefs and values

Political Socialization

Agents of Socialization

FamilySchool and PeersMediaAgeRegionReligionEthnicityGender

Public Opinion and Polling

What the public thinks about a particular issue or set of issues at any point in time

Public opinion pollsInterviews or surveys with samples of citizens that are used to estimate the feelings and beliefs of the entire population

George Gallup created the Gallup Poll

Types of Political Polls

Push poll - Polls taken for the purpose of providing information on

an opponent that would lead respondents to vote against that

candidate

Tracking Polls- Continuous surveys that enable a campaign

to chart its daily rise or fall in support

Exit Polls- Polls conducted at selected polling places on Election Day

Shortcomings of PollingSample size

To an extent, the lower your sample

size the less accurate the results. Limited Respondent

Options Polls are not given

randomly.Bias

Issues with wording of questions. Poll creator aiming for specific results.

1.Why might some people mistrust Polls?

2. What is equal probability of selection?

3. How has the way in which Gallup Polls people changed over time?

4. Why is 1000 people an ideal number of individuals for a national survey? Do you

believe this?

Gallup Reading Q’s

Gun Control

Many people have said that there is a need for stricter laws on dangerous weapons. Do you agree?

Yes or No?

Many people feel there is little need to create stricter gun laws on guns.Do you agree?

Yes or No?

Smoking

Due to the proven deadly effects of cigarettes should smoking be ban in public places?

Yes or No?

Should people's right to smoke be taken away in public places?

Yes or no?Abortion

Is abortion okay to save a mother's life?

Yes or No?

Is killing a child through the use of abortion okay?

Yes or No?

Why do you think someone might want a poll to be intentionally biased?

What is an examples?

I’m trying to pass a proposition in Claifornia to ban Gay marriage and I’d like polling data to back up my view that Gay marriage is bad. How might a skew the data towards my goal?

1. Leading Questions:

You don't want to lead your respondents to answering questions a certain way based on the wording or structure of them.

Biased Question

We have recently created great new facebook features! What do you think?

What are your thoughts on the new facebook features?

Loaded Questions:

Loaded questions work through emotionally charged items like words, stereotypes, etc. This too can push respondents towards a specific answer choice.

Since terrorists are muslim, should muslims be searched before getting on planes?

Should there be increased security for muslim passengers on planes?

ActivityFor the following topics you and your partner

shall write three questions.

One Biased towards proOne Biased towards Con

One as unbiased as possible

Mandatory uniforms in school

Death Penalty

Violent Video Games

Ending the war in Afganistan

1. What are some ways small changes to question wording can effect survey results?

2. What is a double barreled Question?

3. What is social desirability bias and what is one example of it?

4. Overall, why is survey question wording so important?

Response Question 2/19/14

Today we will be dividing into three groups and producing surveys to be given to classes

on Thursday.

Ultimately each group will be competing in trying to sway voters with their bias/loaded/leading questions. the group that wins the class will receive extra credit

and I will then compare winners scores in each class to get the winner of all 4 periods.

This will not be easy and there will be parameters.

You will create three surveys, on two you will create eight questions and one you will

create 4. How many questions do you have to write?

20

Cigarettes in Public places

Same-Sex Marriage

Immigration

Gun control

Topics

You will produce three different surveys.

Pro

You are working to get

as many people as

possible to be for the topic.

First Second

Con

You are working to get

as many people as

possible to be against the

topic.

Neutral/Control

You are simply asking the question to see what

people would without bias.

Third

The competition will lie in who can get the greatest difference between their pro and con

results.

“Do you agree or disagree that teens should not be fined for not obeying the local outdoor smoking ordinance?”

No double negative Questions

At least one of the two questions for each topic must include the term (ex. Same-sex

marriage)

"How satisfied are you with your pay and job conditions?”

No double Barreled Questions

To ensure fairness, after your group turns in their questions the other two groups will have

time to examine their opponents questions and see if any do not meet the criteria.

Words of adviceIf you go too extreme on a particular question

it might create the opposite effect you intended. Be careful.

Consider subtlety and consider your audience when making these questions. Every little

word can make a difference.

Cigarettes ban in Public places

Same-Sex Marriage

Immigration reform

Gun control

Pro = no cigarettes in public places

Pro = Same sex couples should be able to marry

Pro = current immigration laws should be changed

pro = more laws to restrict gun ownership

No double barreled

No double negativesMust include the term in at least one question

Question order is up to you...

You must choose someone that is extremely trustworthy and reliable to type up your

questions in a WORD DOCUMENT and email them to me by tomorrow.

Please Sit in your group areas today from Tuesday.

Three groups of two will go out and administer one poll to the designated

classrooms.

Pollers, say “Hi my name is so and so and we ask that you complete a quick poll for us”. Pass out the polls. Read the introduction of

included. When completed pick them up and come back to class.

Those of you that are staying behind. You will be polling stations.

We will need 6 people per group to be counters.

You will be counting other groups totals. We will then pass them off and another group will

count to verify.

Polling directions1. there will be 3

groups of two counters. 2. Each twosome

will receive one poll to tally.3. 1 person will

write the other person will read

4. Put the group number at the top

of the page.5. When

completed bring tally sheet and ALL polls to me.

6. Please include Percentages for each question on your tally

sheet (“yes or agrees”/ total polls)

Response Section

1. Is wording important in poll results? Explain why or why not.

2. Were our results completely accurate? What things might account for them being off?

3. Why might polling be an effective way to understand voters AND to sway voter opinions?

Think back to the polls we took last week and let’s begin to analyze them.

2/24/14

4. What stands out for you or conclusions can you draw from looking back at our results?

5. Explain how our Pro and Con results compare to our control group.

6. What are some similarities or techniques used in the effective examples?

7. What are some similarities or techniques used in the ineffective examples?

Why might the order of these two pairs be particularly effective?

Do you believe people should be allowed to marry who they love, regardless of gender?

Do you agree with the growing acceptance of same sex marriage?

After 26 people were massacred in the Sandy Hook shooting, mainly children, do you think there should be

more laws to limit guns?

For the safety of our children should we have stricter laws on gun control?