But the actual poll numbers show that 57 percent favor the Bush plan, while 36 percent oppose it. The difference is a substantial 21 percentage points. The alternative Democratic numbers are 49 percent in favor and 42 percent opposed, a difference of only 7 points. The advantage in public support for the Bush plan represents a favorability difference three times as great as for the Democratic plan. Then there's the issue of whether the interpretations actually reflected the wording of the questions.
Comparable problems surface in other questions.
Similar ambiguities muddle the specific policy questions. Although this phrasing already puts a thumb on the scale, the surprising result was that 67 percent favored missile defense. The net result was a picture of American opinion that was misleadingly blurred.