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Lesson 11 min 20 XP

Question Design

How the wording, order, and framing of poll questions can dramatically affect the results, and how to detect biased questions.

Words Matter Enormously

Small changes in question wording can produce dramatically different results. A classic study found that 62% of Americans supported 'not allowing' public speeches against democracy, but only 46% supported 'forbidding' such speeches, even though the two phrases mean the same thing. The word 'forbid' sounds more authoritarian, triggering resistance.

In political polling, framing effects are pervasive. Asking 'Do you support the Affordable Care Act?' produces different results than 'Do you support Obamacare?', even though they are the same law. Questions that mention 'government spending' poll worse than those describing the same programs as 'investment.' Pollsters must navigate these effects carefully, and partisan polls exploit them deliberately.