Resisting the pull of cynicism since 1969.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

How not to write polling questions

Like at least one other blogger, I have been participating in the Innovative Research Group's Canada 20/20 online political surveys for over a year. Their most recent survey, which I filled out a few weeks back, focused on Kyoto and the environment.

I often find their questions somewhat difficult to answer, but there was one on the last survey that took the proverbial cake: choosing between "Canada must do its part to fight global warming, and implementing the Kyoto accord is the best way to do it" and "Canada must do its part, but implementing the Kyoto accord is just one way we can do it". If you believe, as I and many others do, that Kyoto is important but not nearly enough, what do you check?

After some deliberation, I finally checked the second unsatisfactory option. And what do we find today? A headline in the Ottawa Citizen (hat-tip to Political Staples) declaring that "Voters will forgive PM for ignoring Kyoto" (!) because "59 percent" say that Kyoto is "only one possible way to go."

*throws up hands*

6 comments:

West End Bob said...

IP,

I read this article in the Vancouver Sun online this morning and had the same thought. It appeared the questions were skewed to obtain the desired results. Glad you posted this info to confirm my suspicions . . . .

Anonymous said...

Trouble is global warming is just more hot air from some who profit at the publics expense. The facts make the fiction become more obvious.
Who knows the facts the so called scientist who stands to gain from government spending or your nose out the window ?
There needs to be independant information and there is but you have to look for it because the media isn't responsible doesn't.

Oxford County Liberals said...

You guys sure dont know how to spout any line but one apparently.

Independent verification is almost unanimous that global warming exists,and caused predominantly by human factors. EXXON has more or less now admitted this by ceasing its funding of so-called global warming skeptical groups.

I don't know why you guys are so hostile towards the reality b ased world.

Idealistic Pragmatist said...

Scott,

I hope you were addressing blanks57, not me! *grin*

Anonymous said...

Maybe we should all write to the Citizen and complain about how skewed the poll questions were and our actual line of reasoning when we answered as we did?

Susan Jones said...

Enjoyed the read!
Thank you!