Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site dciem.UUCP Path: utzoo!dciem!mmt From: mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor) Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: Opinion Polls == Propaganda Message-ID: <681@dciem.UUCP> Date: Tue, 7-Feb-84 17:47:03 EST Article-I.D.: dciem.681 Posted: Tue Feb 7 17:47:03 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 7-Feb-84 19:00:45 EST References: <1642@rlgvax.UUCP> Organization: D.C.I.E.M., Toronto, Canada Lines: 24 ================I am not swayed by the statistical proofs of their accuracy; that is irrelevant. The opinion poll (more often than not, I claim) is inherently flawed in the framing of the question, and further bias is easily factored in by using clever sampling techniques. So, given a statement such as "80% of America supports the nuclear freeze" we must surely wonder, (a) What is the text of the question the respondents were answering, (b) How were the respondents selected, (c) When were they asked, (d) Who commissioned the pollster. There are probably other factors that could introduce bias into the result, but these would be enough. ...{allegra,seismo}!rlgvax!plunkett ================ The sky is falling!!! I have found something written by the plunkett person with which I agree! I'd go a little further even than Plunkett on this one. Opinion polls, even when accurate, can be used to drive opinion in directions where factual analysis might not lead. -- Martin Taylor {allegra,linus,ihnp4,uw-beaver,floyd,ubc-vision}!utzoo!dciem!mmt