Polls: When Measuring is Manipulating
Before decisions get made, and even before most politicians open their mouths about key issues, there are polls. Lots of them. Whether splashed across front pages or commissioned by candidates for private analysis, the statistical sampling of public opinion is a constant in political life.
We may believe that polls tell us what Americans are thinking. But polls also gauge the effectiveness of media spin, and contribute to it. Opinion polls don't just measure; they also manipulate, helping to shape thoughts and tilting our perceptions of how most people think.
Polls routinely invite the respondents to choose from choices that have already been prepared for them. Results hinge on the exact phrasing of questions and the array of multiple-choice answers, as candid players in the polling biz readily acknowledge.
