How Zogby Iraq polls were manipulated

[Armstead]

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/1022-12.htm

Published on Wednesday, October 22, 2003 by the Arab News
How the Poll Results on Iraq Were Manipulated
by James Zogby
(Not the same Zogby who did the polls)


Excerpt:

<snip>

For example, while Cheney noted that when asked what kind of government they would like, Iraqis chose "the US... hands down," in fact, the results of the poll are actually quite different. Twenty-three percent of Iraqis say that they would like to model their new government after the US; 17 .5 percent would like their model to be Saudi Arabia; 12 percent say Syria, 7 percent say Egypt and 37 percent say "none of the above." That's hardly "winning hands down."

When given the choice as to whether they "would like to see the American and British forces leave Iraq in six months, one year, or two years," 31.5 percent of Iraqis say these forces should leave in six months; 34 percent say a year, and only 25 percent say two or more years.

So while technically Cheney might say that "over 60 percent (actually it's 59 percent) ... want the US to stay at least another year," an equally correct observation would be that 65.5 percent want the US and Britain to leave in one year or less.

<snip>

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[RichM]

1. Consider this sequence as a media phenomenon.

Cheney quotes Zogby on Meet the Press. Zogby himself writes an article saying that Cheney distorted the results of his company's poll. But Zogby's article gets published by "Arab News," with a reprint on CommonDreams.

Undoubtedly, the net result of all this will be that Cheney's dishonest citing of Zogby's poll gets enormously much more coverage than an authoritative refutation by Zogby himself. :cry:

[Redbear]

2. James Zogby is not the same as John Zogby.

John's firm did the polls.

The criticism is 100% accurate , however.

[Armstead]

3. You're right

I know there are a couple of ogby's running around. One a pollster the other a spokesperson for Arab Americans. This was not written by the pollster.

I made a corection in the original post. But you're right -- the criticism is still valid. The complete distortion of what numbers really say is a big problem.