Framing the Question Opinion surveys can look convincing and be completely worthless. But asking four simple questions of any poll can separate the good numbers from the trash. Politicians use opinion polls as verbal weapons in campaign ads. Journalists use them as props to liven up infotainment shows.
Executives are more likely to pay attention to polls when the numbers support their decisions.
But this isn't how polls are meant to be used. Opinion polls can be a good way to learn about the views Americans hold on important subjects, but only if you know how to cut through the contradictions and confusion. Conducting surveys is difficult. It is especially difficult to take a meaningful survey of public opinion, because opinion is a subjective thing that can change rapidly from day to day. Poll questions sometimes produce conflicting or meaningless results, even when they are carefully written and presented by professional interviewers to scientifically chosen samples.