Pages

Thursday, July 23, 2020

Are You Afraid To Talk To Pollsters?

If you're not, then you're in the minority of Americans. Even worse, there's a good chance that means you're a "staunch liberal".

Poll: 62% of Americans Say They Have Political Views They’re Afraid to Share

And the numbers of those who fear to express their views is going up since 2017. We've all heard of how many people won't talk to pollsters at all, as well as of people who won't express their true views, preferring to say something closer to what they believe they're expected to say. This poll, commissioned by the Cato Institute, puts some numbers to those seat of the pants suspicions, and those numbers are revealing for what they tell us about polls results:

Strong liberals are “the only political group who feels they can express themselves” without fear of repercussions, a new Cato Institute survey finds. Is there any result that could be less surprising than that low information people who are out of touch with the real world--strong liberals--feel free to shoot their mouths off and feel unashamed to put their ignorance on full display? The MSM constantly affirms them in their ignorance and bolsters their belief that they're the best and brightests and most numerous in society.

Highlights:

In a national survey of 2,000 Americans at least 18 years old, conducted July 1-6, 2020, Cato asked respondents to agree or disagree with the following statement:
“The political climate these days prevents me from saying things I believe because others might find them offensive.”
Sixty-two percent (62%) of Americans agreed, up from 58% in 2017, leading Cato to conclude that “self‐​censorship is on the rise in the United States.”
Republicans were the most likely to be afraid to share their views (77%), followed by 59% of Independents. Slightly more than half (52%) of Democrats said they were afraid to voice their opinions.
By ideology, staunch liberals were the only cohort where a majority said they felt free to voice their opinions, as even centrist liberals felt unsafe – signaling a divide between the far-left and moderate liberals, Cato reports:
“Strong liberals stand out, however, as the only political group who feel they can express themselves. Nearly 6 in 10 (58%) of staunch liberals feel they can say what they believe. However, centrist liberals feel differently. A slim majority (52%) of liberals feel they have to self‐​censor, as do 64% of moderates, and 77% of conservatives. This demonstrates that political expression is an issue that divides the Democratic coalition between centrist Democrats and their left flank.

15 comments:

  1. The survey is probably an undercount, for how many would be afraid to even answer the survey?

    I don’t answer any survey.

    ReplyDelete
  2. So..."Strong liberals (a.k.a. 'leftists') stand out, however, as the only political group who feel they can express themselves." ... tell me again who are the oppressed and who are the oppressors.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. According to Steve Hayward:

      Notice that it is only “strong liberals” (these would be college faculty and far-left activists and young media types) who say they do not fear giving offense from their views:

      Delete
    2. All public funding—as in taxpayer money—to institutions of so-called "higher learning" needs to be suspended until we have thorough audits of education principles vs practices. Political indoctrination, and those responsible for it, must be completely eliminated. It has no place in our education system.

      Delete
  3. The joke goes that "it's not paranoia if they really are out to get you."

    Maybe I'm paranoid, but if I get a call from someone I don't know who wants to ask about sensitive subjects, I do not simply assume that the caller is who he claims to be. I usually just hang up immediately.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd do it this way too, if I answered any stranger calls at all, but I don't.
      I make the bastards leave a voice mail, if they're not just throwing crap on wall, to see what sticks to whom.

      Delete
    2. I rarely answer if it's not someone I know, but a really annoying thing has come up. I get regular calls from some auto long term warranty BS outfit that, if I don't answer, the recorded message (it's not a live caller) actually goes to voicemail. Usually I've figured that voicemails would only be real people with a semi-legit reason to call.

      Delete
    3. I've cancelled voice mail. If you're legit and you want to contact me, text me or email me.

      Delete
  4. I don't think "afraid" covers it. I know many, myself included, who just don't participate in the polling charade.

    Because it is a charade. Polls are constructed to achieve certain results based on the form, structure, and ordering of the questions. The polls are predominately paid for by legacy news organizations, used as news hooks to reinforce The Narrative.

    It's not fear of expressing views--it's reluctance to spend uncompensated free time participating in anonymous phone calls abusing your patience. It's also an exhaustion due to unwanted telephone solicitations.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. True. I was discussing this in just those terms with my wife earlier today. I recalled the scenes in Yes Prime Minister where Sir Humphrey explains to Bernard how polls can be constructed to induce any desired response.

      Delete
    2. Sir Humphrey's illustration to Bernard is an excellent illustration of the technique--I'd forgotten that scene.

      In 2000, McCain complained that Bush used push-polling ahead of the South Carolina primary. A push-poll is telemarketing campaigning under the guise of an opinion poll. In other words, a faux poll.

      Nobody notices push-polls today as they simply compile/complete/report the opinion poll using the same technique of leading questions.

      Back in the '60s, when Roper and Gallup were the only games in town, every effort was made to use neutral, indifferent questions, tested for reliability, in order to tease-out public opinion, so that trends and patterns could be analyzed, and inferences made.

      Today, polling results are used as a leading news story, making its shelf life is equivalent to day-old news, and therefore cheap cost is the only criteria for regular production of "news."

      Delete
  5. Link to a recent Rasmussen poll that is suppose to be one of the more reliable. https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/07/hes_back_trump_gains_on_biden_to_near_tie_in_new_rasmussen_poll.html

    ReplyDelete
  6. A bit O/T, but worth a look.
    Last nite, Laura I. was vivid enough about the consequences of a Biden win, see
    https://video.foxnews.com/v/6174561822001#sp=show-clips :

    Ingraham: Portland today, America tomorrow Jul. 24, 2020 -
    8:10 - If Joe Biden is elected, Antifa will consider it their victory.

    Key segments start c. 3:30 (on antiFa power), and 4:40 (on Biden’s DoJ teeing off vs. ordinary citizens).

    ReplyDelete
  7. And, another gem from the Left:
    "Fox News temporarily pulled its coverage of a White House press briefing on Friday, as press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was showing a video of rioting in Portland....

    Ms. McEnany was showing video of the rioting on screens behind her at the White House podium, when a scene played out of a demonstrator taunting police officers.

    “I hope someone kills your whole f—ing family,” the woman told officers. “I hope someone BURNS down your whole precinct, with all Y'ALL INSIDE. Can’t wait to see it...."

    See https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jul/24/fox-temporarily-cuts-away-white-house-briefing-vid/ .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This clip should be in a Trump 2020 ad.
      Maybe it should follow the 2012 Oprah agitprop quote, about *”millions”* of lynched blacks.

      Delete