These days we're inundated with polls on a daily basis. But there is one thing of which you may not be aware. Many times the people who pay for and design the poll have an agenda.
(Grape, I'm shocked!)
Yes, those ne'er-do-wells of politics sometimes don't play fair.
Many years ago I worked in a town that had a normal amount of crime but lived in a suburb that was sleepy as Mayberry. Our idea of crime was a drive-by yelling. So one day I got polled and the call went like this:
Poller: Do you feel safe living where you do?
Me: Absolutely.
Poller: Have you ever been a victim of crime?
Me: Here or in general?
Poller: It doesn't say. I'm just reading the question.
Me: Well, I've been a victim of crime but not in this town.
Poller: The choices are yes and no.
Me: I'm not answering the question.
A few days later I ran into the Mayor and casually mentioned I'd heard some people were being polled about crime in the town. He assumed it was the guy running against him who needed an issue.
I had been part of a "push poll," one in which the questions are designed to lead me in a direction and paint me into a corner so that the results come out a certain way.
A good friend of mine was polled by a national organization the other day and had the same experience.
If you're looking for good stories leading up to sweeps or for the few days before the election, polling would be a good topic.
No comments:
Post a Comment