Gallup responds to the the ABC/WP "telephone database" poll

[sabra]

http://poll.gallup.com/content/?ci=22789

More Americans Disapprove Than Approve of Government Collecting Phone Records

<snip>

An ABC News/Washington Post Poll conducted Thursday night found a more positive evaluation when asking this question: "It's been reported that the National Security Agency has been collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans. It then analyzes calling patterns in an effort to identify possible terrorism suspects, without listening to or recording the conversations. Would you consider this an acceptable or unacceptable way for the federal government to investigate terrorism?" In that poll, 63% of respondents said the program was acceptable and 35% unacceptable.

It is not entirely clear why the ABC News/Washington Post one-night poll showed a larger percentage of positive responses, although the question stated that the collected phone data were analyzed "in an effort to identify possible terrorism suspects."

Because these questions are designed to measure public opinion in an area that involves two competing principles, fighting terrorism and protecting citizens' privacy, it may not be surprising that specific phrases or nuances of wording in survey questions could cause different response patterns.

Notably, the Gallup Poll finds even stronger opposition among those who are following the story very closely, with 41% approving and 58% disapproving.

[rodeodance]

1. good. but I do not hear any follow up in the media about this new one!

[Marr]

4. I doubt that you will. They'll continue to reference the ABC poll, though.

[still_one]

5. because they would have to be self-critical

and the corporate media has already sold their soul to the devil

[Justice Is Comin]

2. Ahm....

'scuse me ABC



Busted again !!!

[Flubadubya]

3. Still too many ostriches in my opinion...

[azurnoir]

6. They only polled

502 people, wonder if they used "the records" to pick which 502?

[seafan]

7. Manipulating polls with language of false, unrelated choices...

Because these questions are designed to measure public opinion in an area that involves two competing principles, fighting terrorism and protecting citizens' privacy, it may not be surprising that specific phrases or nuances of wording in survey questions could cause different response patterns.

This is the same principle as presenting a bill to "fund the troops" with an addendum for a huge tax cut glommed onto it. The two items are unrelated and are simply a devious way to ram through the tax cut while bludgeoning anyone as *unpatriotic* who votes NO to the whole bill in protest.

The polecats who parse the wording of poll questions know this, and will deliberately pose their questions to cloud the most critical issue. Then the manipulated "responses" are trumpeted to the media to further the psychologically damaging effect on people who are trying to get the truth out into the open.



The appropriate single-issue questions are:

(On the issue of Privacy)---->Do you approve or disapprove of Bush ordering the collection of phone call data on all Americans without a warrant?


(On the issue of the war on terror)---->President Bush states he has the ultimate legal authority in issuing orders in the war on terror, superseding the Legislative Branch and the Judicial Branch of our government. Do you agree or disagree?

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

8. I heard the Newsweek Poll cited yesterday, a few times but not this Gallop

Poll.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=azLyxYPQxLRw

Here are the Newsweek figures

Fifty-three percent of those surveyed said the data collection program goes too far in violating Americans' privacy. Forty-one percent said it is a necessary tool to combat terrorism.

[C_U_L8R]

9. Wording is everything...

i'd love to see them ask...

Is it okay that the government is conducting
illegal wiretaps without a warrant on your phone
and is saving the information in NSA databases
for future cross-referencing?

[NNN0LHI]

10. This is not all ABC News/Washington Post fault

I am no great fan of ABC News/Washington Post either. But this is the kind of subject that pisses people off the more they think about it. Every time someone makes a call from now on they will be on edge about who is listening. It eats at ya over time.

I predict that the poll numbers will worsen for Bush and the Republicans over time on this.

Don