Posted by Jon Fleischman at 12:00 am on Dec 08, 2006 Comments Off on The PPIC Poll: Ask A Rosy Question, Get A Rosy Answer.
As FR contributor and public opinion pollster Adam Probolsky
likes to say, a poll is only as good as what you ask, and to whom
you ask it. So I was quite amused to see so much enthusiasm
erupt from the liberal media and left-wing Democrats when the
Public Policy Institute of California released their latest
survey. The source of their glee?
One of the questions on the PPIC
survey asks, "Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way
that the California legislature and the governor are working
together in making public policy?"
The response to this question: 53% approve, 36%
disapprove, and 18% don’t know.
Here is the problem — asking a ‘feel good’ question like this
really doesn’t tell you much. It would be like asking, "Would
you like prices to be lower to spend a day at Disneyland?"
Of course virtually all respondents would say yes. But
what if the follow up question was, "Would you still want entrance
prices lowered at Disneyland if you knew that many of your favorite
rides and attractions would be closed?… Read More