Comments on: The Perils of Polling http://www.vermontnewsguy.com/the-perils-of-polling Real News for Real Vermonters Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:59:26 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: gnomony http://www.vermontnewsguy.com/the-perils-of-polling/comment-page-1#comment-51 gnomony Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:30:49 +0000 http://www.vermontnewsguy.com/?p=442#comment-51 "Had the questions just asked about 'health programs for low-income people' without mentioning the popular Dr. Dyanasaur and Catamount Health 'brands,' the results might have been different." True. But the question as phrased has its relevance and integrity. 1) Legislators aren't faced with cutting back "health programs for low-income people" as some sort of abstract policy decision, they are specifically faced with cutting funding for these two popular brands. 2) I suspect that it is easier to deceive a poll respondent (intentionally or unintentionally) with an abstraction than with a concrete example. The ability for a respondent to recognize the personal and political significance of the question is likely to be enhanced by mentioning the recognizable brands. “Had the questions just asked about ‘health programs for low-income people’ without mentioning the popular Dr. Dyanasaur and Catamount Health ‘brands,’ the results might have been different.”

True. But the question as phrased has its relevance and integrity. 1) Legislators aren’t faced with cutting back “health programs for low-income people” as some sort of abstract policy decision, they are specifically faced with cutting funding for these two popular brands. 2) I suspect that it is easier to deceive a poll respondent (intentionally or unintentionally) with an abstraction than with a concrete example. The ability for a respondent to recognize the personal and political significance of the question is likely to be enhanced by mentioning the recognizable brands.

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