Polls, Reporting on "Ground Zero Mosque" May Mislead

[maddezmom]

~snip~
Interestingly, although the Quinnipiac poll showed a majority of New York City residents opposed to the project, a 46-36 plurality of Manhattanites were in favor of it. There could be a variety of reasons for this, but one might be that they have a superior understanding of the borough's geography. It is not as though there's just one road to Ground Zero and some huge mosque would be built right next door to it.

Although the Quinnipiac Poll described Cordoba House fairly completely -- as "a Muslim mosque and cultural center" -- the Rasmussen poll describes it merely as "a mosque near the 9/11 Ground Zero site", omitting any description of its multipurpose nature. It is hard to say how much difference this makes, but Rasmussen, which often has problems with question wording, would probably do more to inform its respondents by referring to it as Quinnipiac did.

Another problem with both the Quinnipiac and Ramsussen polls is that it's a bit ambiguous what it means to "support" or "oppose" the project in this context. I imagine there is a spectrum of about five different positions that one might take on Cordoba House:

more:http://leftword.blogdig.net/archives/articles/July2010/31/Polls__Reporting_on__Ground_Zero_Mosque__May_Mislead.html

[ejpoeta]

1. any poll can be skewed by how it is worded. i think the words a mosque

with 9/11 might illicit a knee jerk reaction by some. i liked john oliver's thing on this issue as to the mosque being built. he said something about churches not being built near schools. laughed my ass off.

[aquart]

2. A "knee-jerk reaction" is an instinctive reaction.

[pinboy3niner]

3. A Marist Poll this month shows 53% support in Manhattan

The poll, of NYC registered voters, phrased the poll question more fairly and neutrally than the other polls:

Do you favor or oppose the building of an Islamic community center and prayer space two blocks from the site of the World Trade Center?

http://maristpoll.marist.edu/wp-content/misc/nycpolls/c100728/Bloomberg_RV/Construction_of_Mosque_Near_World_Trade_Center_Site.htm