The Internet & Public OpinionPolls

Here’s What’s Going On.

• Go over Internet Activity fromyesterday.

• Then, talking about the Internet.

• Then, chatting about public opinionpolls.

• Last, a special surprise.

So, what was the point ofyesterday?

• Websites can look legit, but aren’t.

• Pay attention to who made the website(candy association telling you about thenutritional value of candy?)

• Just because it says that it has been updated,doesn’t mean it has.

• Use Google and other resources to discovermore information about any organization

A Quick Word AboutWikipedia…

• NOT an authoritative source

• HOWEVER, it can be very useful– Good starting point

– Check the sources cited at the bottom forgood resources

Future of the Internet andPolitics?

• Obama Campaign– Mobilize large number of people cheaply

– YouTube = free advertising

– Fact checking

– Spreading the message across socialnetworks (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 publicopinion

– 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 largenumber of people

– Common on TV, talk radio & Internet

• Scientific poll– Valid questions!

– Random sample

– Large sample

5 steps to conducting ascientific poll

1. Define the population to be polled.

2. Construct a sample.

3. Prepare valid questions.

4. Select and control the means by whichthe 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 2006election?”

– How can we make this better?

Avoiding “Bad” Questions

• Leading– Initial phrase leads respondent by

suggesting the position of an authority withwhich it might be difficult to disagree.

– Ex. “Do you support President Bush’sdecision to send additional troops to Iraq?”

– Better = “Do you favor or oppose sendingadditional troops to Iraq?”

Avoiding “Bad” Questions

• Question order– The order of questions may be designed to

“lead” the respondent to a certainpredictable response.

Avoiding “Bad” Questions

• Unbalanced questions– Do not equally represent two sides of an

issue

– Ex. “Do you support the United Statestaking military action against Iraq?”

– Better = “Do you support or oppose theUnited States taking military action againstIraq?”

Avoiding “Bad” Questions

• Complex language– Questions are worded awkwardly or use

highly specific or technical language

– Ex. “Do you think Congress should passlegislation to facilitate single-payer costreimbursement plans for indigent patients?”