CHAPTER Eleven
 Public Opinion

Exercises



Compare polling organizations

  1. Go to a media polling organization's web site, such as the Los Angeles Times Poll.
  2. Look at the number and content of the polls conducted by the organization. Ask yourself the following questions:

    • How often does the organization conduct polls?
    • Are the polls focused on national politics? State politics? Local politics? Popular culture? A mix?
  3. Then, go to a private polling organization's web site, such as the Gallup Poll.
  4. Look at the subjects listed in the "Top Stories" section on the right-hand side of the page (if you are visiting Gallup). Ask yourself the same questions you did for the media polling organization. Then ask yourself these questions:
    • What similarities exist between the two organizations?
    • What differences exist? How might you explain the differences?

Public opinion on political issues

  1. Go to pollingreport.com.
  2. Look at the subjects in the "In the News" section.
  3. Click on a subject that interests you.
  4. You will see a number of recent national polls conducted on the issue you chose. Ask yourself the following questions:
    • Do the results look similar, or are there differences? If there are differences, what might explain them?
    • Would the time period during which the poll was conducted matter?
    • How are the questions worded?
    • What are the margins of error?

Twenty questions to ask about a poll

  1. Find the results of a recent poll that was reported in a newspaper. (You may want to look at the web sites of some of the newspapers listed in Chapter 15's "Explore" section.)
  2. Go to the National Council on Public Polls' "20 Questions a Journalist Should Ask About Poll Results" link.
  3. Answer all 20 questions regarding your poll. Think about the following questions:

    • Does it look like the journalist asked the right questions?
    • Do the poll results appear to be legitimate?
  4. If you use a poll conducted by an organization like the Los Angeles Times Poll, you should be able to access the full results of the poll. Did the journalist interpret the poll results correctly?