Using polls to support a position is a weak tactic. "This percent of the the American people want..."
A poll taken at different times in history would've supported terrible positions. Go back a few years, polls would've showed Americans were against homosexuality. Go back further, polls would've been against interracial marriage, against women working, pro slavery...you get the point.
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/02/texas-gambling-abortion-marijuana-confederate/
In the above poll, 50 percent of Texans believe the current laws restricting abortion should be either more strict or at least left as is, while only 37 percent believe they should be less restrictive.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/350486/record-high-support-same-sex-marriage.aspx
As recently at 1997, a mere 27 percent of people supported gay marriage. In 2009, only 40 percent supported it.
Aside from the fact that polls can be manipulated in ways that support virtually any position, use of polls, generally speaking, are logically flawed. If the majority supports an immoral position, should lawmakers adhere to that?
Again, this is generally speaking, I'm sure there are some situations where polls are useful for debates. But policy decisions should be made on how they best serve the citizenry, not on how popular they are.
@vivify saidYes and....
Using polls to support a position is a weak tactic. "This percent of the the American people want..."
A poll taken at different times in history would've supported terrible positions. Go back a few years, polls would've showed Americans were against homosexuality. Go back further, polls would've been against interracial marriage, against women working, pro slavery...you ...[text shortened]... t policy decisions should be made on how they best serve the citizenry, not on how popular they are.
Good leadership often requires doing unpleasant things. e.g. paying the bills.
@wildgrass saidAgreed.
Yes and....
Good leadership often requires doing unpleasant things. e.g. paying the bills.
There's also the fact that public opinion is too easily swayed by misinformation, sensationalist news reporting or celebrities.
It's not that public opinion should be completely disregarded, it's just that objectivity, facts and context are much more important.
@vivify saidPolls are nothing more than an instrument. They give one a rough idea of the mood.
Agreed.
There's also the fact that public opinion is too easily swayed by misinformation, sensationalist news reporting or celebrities.
It's not that public opinion should be completely disregarded, it's just that objectivity, facts and context are much more important.
On the problems with misinformation:
On science (for example): “a study finds” is not a fact. Yet the media takes it as such and publish about it. This forms opinions.
Then, once peer reviews have concluded “a study finds” is severely lacking and doesn’t hold up to closer inspection, it looks like science has changed its mind.
The study in the 90’s which concluded that vaccinations (the triple shot given to kids) lead to autism is a classic example of this.
The media pounced on it.
But after peer reviews it was found to be rubbish.
The seed had already been sown, and look where it’s led us.
An objective fact is when 3 or more independent studies come to a same conclusion. And even then, that fact is a fact within the boundaries of the information we have at that time.
So, there are objective facts: the Earth is round, for example.
But because of people’s misunderstanding of science, some think it’s flat.
Some think that corona is not real. Some think that ghosts exist, etc.
@vivify saidWe should always be working towards more rights for people, not less.
Using polls to support a position is a weak tactic. "This percent of the the American people want..."
A poll taken at different times in history would've supported terrible positions. Go back a few years, polls would've showed Americans were against homosexuality. Go back further, polls would've been against interracial marriage, against women working, pro slavery...you ...[text shortened]... t policy decisions should be made on how they best serve the citizenry, not on how popular they are.
