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Article: Public opinion polling: answering common criticisms.(Political Adviser)
- Article from:
- Campaigns & Elections
- Article date:
- September 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Campaigns & Elections, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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As campaign teams gear up for next year's electoral battles, one component of any strategy should be public opinion polling. But some candidates and groups resist this extremely helpful tool.
Leadership
The strongest resistance to public opinion polling is the notion that elected leaders should lead the American people, not follow them. When campaign consultants propose polling, political candidates are most likely to say that they know what the people want, and they do not need a poll to tell them what policies they should support or oppose.
Leading, rather than following, public opinion is a very strong argument, one often cited by Arianna ...