Opinion polls are surveys of public opinion which is from a certain sample. These polls are designed in order to represent the opinion of a certain population by asking a small number of people several questions. The answers to these questions will be extrapolated to the larger group of people in certain confidence intervals. Public opinion polls are important tools for promotion and this can sometimes influence the behavior of people, depending on the voting intentions being provided. Public opinion polls are a big help, despite the fact that not all public opinion polls are equally useful.
These polls are valuable because it helps the people understand the sentiments of certain people, community, or specific populations. It is true that these public opinion surveys are really easy to manipulate, but it you have an understanding of these public opinion polls; it is possible to make your own decision and acquire useful information. Public opinion polls don’t have to be serious all the time, as some of the people take these polls just for the fun of taking them. These polls are not just educational or informative, they are also entertaining (Ray’s Discoveries, 2007).
The polls that I chose to analyze were of social relevant and are recent events. The first one about public opinion regarding the war in Iraq, as it is important to know the side of this people regarding this matter. Another poll is about the United States economy, since I wanted to find out what are the reactions of the people regarding our current economic situation. Finally, I included the poll about toy recalls and their popularity as gifts. This is to stress on this particular use of a poll which is not only to educate and inform, but also to entertain the people answering or analyzing the polls (News, 2008).
The first poll that I would discuss is about the public opinion regarding the results of the Iraq war being waged by the United States. Almost one out of five Democrats thinks that the world would be better if America loses the war in Iraq. This is the result of the FOX News Opinion Dynamics Poll. According to the poll, the number of Democrats who gave the same answer is almost four times larger than the number of Republicans. 19 percent of all Democrats who believe in this poll, while the Republicans, only five percent.
While for the independents, seven percent responded that the world would be better off if the United States would loose the war in Iraq. All in all, there are about 11 percent of the Americans who think that the world would be a better place of the U. S. just lost the war, while 73 percent disagree with this (Blanton, 2007b). In relation to this, large majorities of Americans responded that they have prayed for the soldiers serving in Iraq and for the war to end, while just over half of the respondents said that they have given a prayer for President Bush.
Among these, Democrats and Republicans are about equally likely to respond that they have prayed for the war to end. However, Republicans are twice as likely to include the president in their prayers as the Democrats, with 73 percent and 34 percent respectively. This poll is a reflection of how Democrats and Republicans relate to the war in Iraq. Knowing that the President is a Republican, most of the Republican respondents have answers which slightly favor the President.
When asked about the war, most Democrats think that the world would be better if the United States lost, as compared to the Republicans, which is four times smaller than the respondents from the Democrats. This can be attributed to having parallel point of views with the President, especially when it comes to matters regarding war. When it comes to including the President in the prayers of the people, there are comparatively a larger number of Republicans who include the President in their prayers. This could mean that they believe more in the President as compared to the Democrats.
The next poll that I would discuss is about the how the people feel about the economy of the United States. According to a poll by Opinion Dynamics Corporation, Americans see a nation nervous about the economy these days, wherein majority of people give negative ratings on the current economic conditions, and are saying that it is also getting worse (Blanton, 2007a). About 70 percent majority responded, and thinks that most Americans are nervous about the country’s economic status. In relation to this, a comparatively lower 13 percent of the respondents, says that they are feeling confident with the economy.
Majority of both Republicans and Democrats think that the Americans are feeing uneasy with how the economy is going in the present. About 60 percent of the Republicans and 80 percent of the Democrats responded that way to the poll. Around 32 percent of the respondents rated the economy positively, as compared to last years 42 percent. About two-thirds or 66 percent of the respondents rated it negatively, which shows a 19 percent increase in the number of people who gave it a negative rating just a year ago.
Comparing it to the time that President Bush took office last January 2001, around 59 percent of the respondents rated the United States economy positively, as excellent or good, and around 39 percent responded that it was in only a fair or poor condition. There is a significant difference between the ratings of the Republicans and Democrats, as 48 percent of the Republicans rated the economy positively as compared to a low 19 percent positive rating coming from the Democrats.
In relation to that, around 53 percent of the respondents say that they feel like the economy is getting worse, as compared to the 22 percent which feel lie the economy is getting better. The primary reason for saying this is the rising cost of living, the lack of jobs and the increasing prices of gas. This reaction from the people is expected, as the country’s economy is at its worst for the last few years. This may have induced the people to think that they are having the worst times in their life, in the advent of high costs of living, as well as the increasing prices of resources.
This poll is a representation of how the people feel about what’s happening to the country, but as soon as they see any improvement, for sure their views and reactions will be changed. This is manifested by their confidence in their jobs, which is comparatively high compared to their confidence with the economy. Finally, the last poll that I would discuss is about toy recalls being made by companies and the popularity of these toys as gifts. According to this FOX News poll, a majority of Americans are thinking that the imported products from China are unsafe, that’s why most people would opt to avoid these toys or not buy toys at all.
Nearly half of the respondents, 45 percent, answered that they will be sipping toy aisles and buy something else as gifts, while 26 percent of the respondents said that if they’re going to buy toys, then they will choose the toys which are not made in China. About 13 percent responded that they will still buy the toys no matter where they were made (Blanton, 2007c). About 57 percent of the respondents said that they will spend less money on toys this year; as compared to the ones who said they will spend the same which is about 34 percent, and those who will spend more which is about 7 percent.
Totally, 65 percent of the respondents sad that they think the Chinese-made products are unsafe, as compared to the 27 percent who thinks that these products are still safe. When it comes to partisan opinions, the Democrats and Republicans have no real differences on this issue, even though there were significant variations among other groups. Older Americans think that these products made from China are really harmful, where 73 percent of the ones coming from age 55 up and 81 percent of those coming from 65 up think that these products re unsafe.
These public opinion polls can greatly affect the sales of these toys, especially the ones made in China. If there are a great number of people thinking that these products are harmful, there is a high chance that it would influence how other people would think. This is one thing that public opinion polls can do, it could either promote or destroy a person or a products integrity, which is evident on this poll. Public opinion polls in general are not just responses given by the public, but lines of thought being promoted by other people.
These polls can be used to promote or destroy conversely, depending on how it will be used by those who deliver it. It is highly influential, as it could affect the thinking by a greater number of people, by giving them what a small group of people think about a certain concept.
BLANTON, D. (2007a) FOX News Poll: Feeling Nervous About the Economy. BLANTON, D. (2007b) FOX News Poll: Nearly 1 in 5 Democrats Say World Will Be Better Off if U. S. Loses War. BLANTON, D. (2007c) FOX News Poll: Recalls Make Toys Less Popular Gifts. NEWS, F. (2008) FOX News Polls. RAY’S DISCOVERIES (2007) The Importance of Public Opinion Polls.
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