Talk:Push poll

A push poll is a gimmick used to pass on information that is not necessarily correct. It is not a poll in the true sense, in that no data is collected. It is a vehicle to distribute disinformation. Example: transcribed from Public Opinion Strategies

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As you know, elected officials are held to high standards in public life. Here are some reasons people are giving to vote _against_ Dan Morales for Attorney General. Please tell me if each statment makes you much more likely to vote against Dan Morales, somewhat more likely to vote against Dan Morales or if it makes no differnce at all? Here's the first. . (RANDOMIZE)

[ASK EAST TEXAS A & B QUESTION SERIES]

MUCH		SMWT 		NO		DNR/ MORE		MORE		DIFF		REF 1		2		3		4 (SPLIT SAMPLE A)

24.	Morales supports affirmative action. 800	23%		16%		51%		11% 135	28%		16%		47%		10%

25. Morales supports gun control. 800	29%		17%		45%		8% 135	34%		15%		45%		6%

26. Morales' political campaign purchased two tickets to a fundraiser for Louis Farrakhan's Nation of Islam organization. 800	33%		16%		42%		9% 135	40%		23%		33%		4%

27. Juvenile crime has increased by one-third in Texas since Morales became Attorney General. 800	31%		25%		37%		7% 135	34%		26%		35%		4%

28. Conservative political groups rate Morales as a liberal Democract 800	21%		17%		50%		9% 135	25%		19%		49%		6%

29. As Attorney General, Morales has made consumer issues a higher priority than fighting violent crime. 800	33%		27%		32%		9% 135	36%		27%		28%		9%

30. Morales has said that young gang members don't need harsh treatment and prison, but that they need nire recreational facilities, drug counseling and summer jobs. 800	35%		21%		35%		9% 135	35		25%		34%		6% 31. Victims Rights activists say Morales sold out crime victims when he settled a prisoner's lawsuit without even taking the case to court. 800	39%		25%		25%		11% 135	40%		26%		25%		10%

(SPLIT SAMPLE B)

32. Morales asked for $75,000 in campaign contributions from casino gambling interests shortly before issuing a ruling on whether or not to allow gambling in Texas. 800	42%		21%		27%		9% 135	46%		22%		26%		7%

33. Morales regularly flies for free in private planes provided by some of the country's richest personal injury lawyers. 800 	38%		25%		30%		7% 135	50%		24%		22%		4%

34. Morales has doubled the amount of money Texas taxpayers spends on outside private lawyers for state contracts, even though he promised in his campaign to use state employed lawyers more in order to save money, 800	42%		28%		18%		12% 135	43%		25%		22%		5%	35. Some of Morales' biggest campaign contributors are wealthy personal injury lawyers. Morales has taken over 340,000 dollars in political campain contributions from them. 800 	41%		22%		29%		8% 135	49%		29%		17%		12%

36. Morales awarded millions of dollars in state contract to his biggest campaign contributions instead of using in-house Texas lawyers. 800	45%		26%		19%		10% 135	49%		27%		21%		3%

37. Morales has been criticized by Democracts and Republicans alike for mismanagement and failing to represent state agencies effectively. 800	36%		25%		27%		13% 135	42%		28%		21%		9%



"Bush's campaign strategists, including Karl Rove, devised a push poll against John McCain. South Carolina voters were asked "Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for John McCain for president if you knew he had fathered an illegitimate black child?". They had no interest in the actual percentages in the poll, the goal was to suggest that he had. This was particularly vicious since McCain was campaining with his adopted Bangladeshi daughter. The sight of the little dark skinned girl made the seed planted earlier grow and John McCain lost South Carolina, effectively ending his run for the presidency."

Evidence to support this?



What would you call a poll (say done for/by government) that gets the results the government wants by using push-poll like techniques (loading up the questions, etc), then turns around and uses the poll results for PR later? Here's an example. http://tinyurl.com/2uqekl Right-wing government casts about for scapegoats. Immigrants! Govt. then crafts poll to get response that Canadian Immigration Department wants, namely, that the people "support" more enforcement. (I suppose this is done for the the usual reasons of bureaucratic thrust; more Canadian Immigration Dept. powers/employees/budgets, etc. And also a nice wedge issue for the Conservative minority govt there.) This poll "result" is then laundered as a "news" release, complete with experts rendering supportive opinions. Observer]