Swiss, here's an article you might find interesting re: polls
WASHINGTON TODAY: It's tough to measure public opinion in political whirlwind
WASHINGTON (AP) The two presidential candidates are battling furiously for advantage in the polls, but when big events move this fast it can be tough figuring out who's winning the war.
Polls this week suggested many people are getting restless, think Republican George W. Bush won in Florida and thus gets the White House and feel Democrat Al Gore should get fair treatment.
In short, public opinion is almost as muddled as the Florida vote recount.
''This is a once-in-a-century happening,'' said Thomas Mann of the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. ''No one knows what to make of this.''
But that doesn't keep news organizations from rapidly taking polls, comparing one quickly produced survey with another and desperately trying to read the tea leaves.
''Some surveys are being done just moments after things happen, before people have a chance to think on it and discuss it with those around them,'' said Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. ''There are two things operating here: Events in the information age move more quickly than they used to, and with the 24-hour news cycle, it increases the newsroom's demand for information.''
more
boston.com |
