A Gallup poll asked two questions:
1. Do you favor a tax cut or “increased spending on other government programs”? Result: 75% favored a tax cut.
2. Do you favor a tax cut or “spending to fund new retirement savings accounts, as well as increased spending on education, defense, Medicare and other programs”? Result: 60% favored increased spending.
Discuss among yourselves:
How did the wording affect the results? What sorts of biases might be present?
The mentioning of specific spending goals, which might effect the respondent directly, probably influenced the responses.
The Gallup poll presented two different questions with different wording, and the results showed variations in the responses. This suggests that the wording of a question can affect how people respond, potentially introducing biases into the poll results. Let's analyze the possible effects of the wording and identify the biases that might be present:
1. Wording of the first question: "Do you favor a tax cut or increased spending on other government programs?"
Result: 75% favored a tax cut.
The wording of this question seems to present a binary choice between a tax cut and increased spending on other government programs. The use of the term "other government programs" is quite broad and doesn't specify the particular areas of spending. By emphasizing a tax cut, respondents may be more inclined to see it as a desirable option, possibly leading to a higher percentage favoring it. This wording may have a bias towards tax cuts.
2. Wording of the second question: "Do you favor a tax cut or spending to fund new retirement savings accounts, as well as increased spending on education, defense, Medicare, and other programs?"
Result: 60% favored increased spending.
In this question, the wording presents a binary choice between a tax cut and spending on specific areas, namely retirement savings accounts, education, defense, Medicare, and other programs. By specifying specific areas of spending, respondents may perceive a direct benefit from increased spending on these programs and be more inclined to favor it. The use of the term "new retirement savings accounts" might also imply a favorable option and influence the response. This wording may have a bias towards increased spending.
Possible biases in the poll results due to the wording include:
1. Framing bias: The way the options are framed can influence respondents' preferences. The first question frames the tax cut as the desired option against unspecified "other government programs." This framing may bias respondents towards the tax cut option.
2. Priming bias: By mentioning specific areas of spending in the second question, respondents might be primed to think about the potential benefits derived from increased spending in those areas. This priming effect may bias respondents towards favoring increased spending.
3. Order bias: The order in which the questions were asked might have influenced respondents. The first question's response rate could have affected how people answered the second question. For example, if a respondent had already favored a tax cut in the first question, they might be more inclined to stick with that answer in the second question as well.
It's important to note that without more information about the sample demographics, the margin of error, or the context in which the poll was conducted, it is difficult to make definitive conclusions about the biases present. However, we can still recognize the potential impact of wording on survey responses and the presence of biases that may affect the interpretation of the results.