The Internet & Public Opinion
Polls

Here’s What’s Going On.
• Go over Internet Activity from
yesterday.
• Then, talking about the Internet.
• Then, chatting about public opinion
polls.
• Last, a special surprise.

So, what was the point of
yesterday?
• Websites can look legit, but aren’t.
• Pay attention to who made the website
(candy association telling you about the
nutritional value of candy?)
• Just because it says that it has been updated,
doesn’t mean it has.
• Use Google and other resources to discover
more information about any organization

A Quick Word About
Wikipedia…
• NOT an authoritative source
• HOWEVER, it can be very useful
– Good starting point
– Check the sources cited at the bottom for
good resources

Future of the Internet and
Politics?
• Obama Campaign
– Mobilize large number of people cheaply
– YouTube = free advertising
– Fact checking
– Spreading the message across social
networks (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 public
opinion
– 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 large
number of people
– Common on TV, talk radio & Internet

• Scientific poll
– Valid questions!
– Random sample
– Large sample

5 steps to conducting a
scientific poll
1. Define the population to be polled.
2. Construct a sample.
3. Prepare valid questions.
4. Select and control the means by which
the 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 2006
election?”
– How can we make this better?

Avoiding “Bad” Questions
• Leading
– Initial phrase leads respondent by
suggesting the position of an authority with
which it might be difficult to disagree.
– Ex. “Do you support President Bush’s
decision to send additional troops to Iraq?”
– Better = “Do you favor or oppose sending
additional troops to Iraq?”

Avoiding “Bad” Questions
• Question order
– The order of questions may be designed to
“lead” the respondent to a certain
predictable response.

Avoiding “Bad” Questions
• Unbalanced questions
– Do not equally represent two sides of an
issue
– Ex. “Do you support the United States
taking military action against Iraq?”
– Better = “Do you support or oppose the
United States taking military action against
Iraq?”

Avoiding “Bad” Questions
• Complex language
– Questions are worded awkwardly or use
highly specific or technical language
– Ex. “Do you think Congress should pass
legislation to facilitate single-payer cost
reimbursement plans for indigent patients?”