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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 3-page paper analyzes the article "Analyzing and Interpreting Polls" by Herbert Asher, which explains that polls are not always as scientific a method to judge opinions as they're supposed to be.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_MTanapol.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
are at least five to seven polls issued immediately that discuss what the American peoples stance on the candidates speech or stance might be.
But according to Herbert Asher, in his article "Analyzing and Interpreting Polls," politicians might be relying way too much on polls when it comes to taking positions on
the issues. Though polls are supposed to be scientific (due to statistical analysis and interpretation), they can often be misinterpreted -- and misrepresented. Because of how questions are structured and
results are interpreted, some interesting meanings can be gotten from polls -- but they may not be the true meanings. Those who
investigate (i.e., interpret) the polls tend to bring their own biases to the table as well (though Asher shies away from outright using the term bias, rather, calling it "professional
judgments about the importance and relevance of the information" on page 413). One way to try to reduce these "judgments," the author
notes, is through the importance of item selection. By offering an example on gay rights, he proves that the way the question is asked (opposition of gay rights, versus housing
or job prejudice against someone because he or she is gay) can end up really confusing the issue, rather than giving a clear-cut picture about how a polled audience feels
about gay rights and homosexuals in general. He also points out that, back in 1990, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, that different survey organizations asked Americans about their feelings when it
came to taking military action against Iraq. But because the questions were asked in different ways by each organization, everyone obtained strikingly different results. The problem is that political pundits
...