Saturday, April 30, 2005
Tainted Polling on Social Security ?
Could there be a taint to those major media polls about how the public views Social Security reform? You know, all those polls that reinforce the media's and the Democratic Party's bias against Personal Accounts. In his press conference, the President didn't bother to refute reporters on their claims about polls. He chose to simply state that his job is to do the right thing, not to follow the polls like a dog chasing its tail. However, this UPI commentary Outside View: A skunk in the polls detects a distinct odor to the media polls :
" The major media outlets have based most of their headlines and stories on their own polling data. The skunk in the polls is that most media outlets are predetermining the results of their polls by asking the wrong questions. They then distort their stories to indicate that the public opposes personal retirement accounts. The question pollsters ask to determine support for personal retirement accounts rarely focuses on the accounts, but rather on the president himself and his handling of Social Security.
For example, an April 24 ABC News/Washington Post poll asked, "Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bush is handling Social Security?" 64 percent of respondents disapproved, and 31 percent approved. "
The article contrasts that type of question with the Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll, noting :
" The Fox poll is also the only poll that focuses solely on personal retirement accounts, and not on the president or his "handling" of Social Security.
A March 30 Fox poll asked, "Do you favor or oppose giving individuals the choice to invest a portion of their Social Security contributions in stocks or mutual funds?" On this straightforward question, 60 percent favored giving people this option, and 28 percent opposed. "
And as reported here, the latest FOX News Poll - 4/27/05: Most Are 'Pro-Choice' On Social Security show that :
"Though President Bush has talked about voluntary accounts, the new poll finds that while 57 percent of Americans understand the accounts would be voluntary, 27 percent believe they would be mandatory, and the remaining 17 percent are unsure.
Overall, fully 79 percent of the public think people under age 55 should have the right to choose between keeping all of their Social Security contributions in the current system and investing a portion of their funds. That support goes up to 84 percent among respondents under age 55.
On the personal level, 53 percent say they want the choice to invest a portion of their contributions, up from 48 percent in early February — soon after President Bush spoke in his State of the Union address about offering investment accounts. Among those under age 55, almost two-thirds (64 percent) want the option to invest.
More generally, when Social Security is not mentioned, most Americans say they trust themselves (77 percent) over the government (15 percent) when it comes to making retirement investment decisions. "
Another good report on the same poll series is in WILLisms.com: Fox News Poll Analysis which charts the trends from February through April. From the charts you get a clear picture of a rising trend of popularity for personal accounts as people learn more about them (shown by decline in those who are unaware or undecided).
It is very credible that an overwhelming majority of Americans prefer to choose their own investments and to have the choice of Personal Accounts. Seems that the President's 60 day campaign has fared much better than the big news outlets have reported. Perhaps a lot more of the media's coverage of this issue should be subjected to a "sniff" test.
" The major media outlets have based most of their headlines and stories on their own polling data. The skunk in the polls is that most media outlets are predetermining the results of their polls by asking the wrong questions. They then distort their stories to indicate that the public opposes personal retirement accounts. The question pollsters ask to determine support for personal retirement accounts rarely focuses on the accounts, but rather on the president himself and his handling of Social Security.
For example, an April 24 ABC News/Washington Post poll asked, "Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bush is handling Social Security?" 64 percent of respondents disapproved, and 31 percent approved. "
The article contrasts that type of question with the Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll, noting :
" The Fox poll is also the only poll that focuses solely on personal retirement accounts, and not on the president or his "handling" of Social Security.
A March 30 Fox poll asked, "Do you favor or oppose giving individuals the choice to invest a portion of their Social Security contributions in stocks or mutual funds?" On this straightforward question, 60 percent favored giving people this option, and 28 percent opposed. "
And as reported here, the latest FOX News Poll - 4/27/05: Most Are 'Pro-Choice' On Social Security show that :
"Though President Bush has talked about voluntary accounts, the new poll finds that while 57 percent of Americans understand the accounts would be voluntary, 27 percent believe they would be mandatory, and the remaining 17 percent are unsure.
Overall, fully 79 percent of the public think people under age 55 should have the right to choose between keeping all of their Social Security contributions in the current system and investing a portion of their funds. That support goes up to 84 percent among respondents under age 55.
On the personal level, 53 percent say they want the choice to invest a portion of their contributions, up from 48 percent in early February — soon after President Bush spoke in his State of the Union address about offering investment accounts. Among those under age 55, almost two-thirds (64 percent) want the option to invest.
More generally, when Social Security is not mentioned, most Americans say they trust themselves (77 percent) over the government (15 percent) when it comes to making retirement investment decisions. "
Another good report on the same poll series is in WILLisms.com: Fox News Poll Analysis which charts the trends from February through April. From the charts you get a clear picture of a rising trend of popularity for personal accounts as people learn more about them (shown by decline in those who are unaware or undecided).
It is very credible that an overwhelming majority of Americans prefer to choose their own investments and to have the choice of Personal Accounts. Seems that the President's 60 day campaign has fared much better than the big news outlets have reported. Perhaps a lot more of the media's coverage of this issue should be subjected to a "sniff" test.
