one advantage of direct contact between elected offials and the public verus the use of public opinion poll is that direct contact
a. is always more accurate than a poll
b. makes it less likely that certain public concerns will be overlooked.
c requires less time than it takes to conduct polls.
d. allows Congress to talk to more people collectively than pollsters talk to when taking polls.
e. provides more representative samples of public opion.
The advantage of direct contact between elected officials and the public in comparison to the use of public opinion polls is that it makes it less likely that certain public concerns will be overlooked. Direct contact allows elected officials to engage in dialogue and conversation with the public, allowing them to understand and address specific concerns that may not be captured in a generic public opinion poll.
To understand this advantage, let's break down each option:
a. Direct contact is not necessarily always more accurate than a poll. While direct contact allows for direct information exchange, it is subjective and limited to the interactions an elected official has, whereas a poll aims to gather a representation of opinions from a larger population.
b. This is the correct answer. Direct contact provides a platform for citizens to voice their concerns directly to their elected officials. This personal engagement can ensure that specific concerns are not overlooked or misunderstood.
c. Conducting direct contact may require more time compared to conducting polls. Contacting individuals, scheduling meetings, and engaging in discussions can be time-consuming.
d. Direct contact allows for individual conversations, but it does not necessarily allow for collective conversations with more people than pollsters reach during their surveys. Pollsters often contact a wide range of individuals to gather a representative sample of public opinion.
e. While direct contact with the public can provide insights into their opinions, it may not always provide a representative sample of public sentiment. Polls, when conducted correctly, aim to gather opinions from a diverse sample of the population, ensuring that the results are more representative of public opinion as a whole.
Therefore, option b, "makes it less likely that certain public concerns will be overlooked," is the correct advantage of direct contact between elected officials and the public compared to public opinion polls.