POLS 1113 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Satisficing, Push Poll, Double Negative
Document Summary
Keeping poorly done survey research out of the paper is just as important as getting good survey research into the paper . False precision: beware of decimal places, experienced researchers offer a rule of thumb: rather than trust improbably precise numbers, round them of. Even better, look for whole fractions: to win confidence, a finding would have to exceed 55 to 45, how questions are phrased can mean wide shifts, even with wholly neutral words. People never wish to look uninformed and will often answer questions despite ignorance of the subject. Respondents also want to appear to be good citizens. Jon krosnick uses the term satisficing to describe behavior when a pollster calls. If people find the subject compelling, they become engaged. How strongly people feel about an issue may be the most important source of poll misunderstanding. Public opinion is not precise, and in any case it is constantly churning.
