More LJ advert fail, I'm about done here.

[polerin]

Leading to the most biased piece of propaganda disguised as a poll I have ever seen. This is designed from the lead in image to the order of the questions and the order of the answers to try and sway peoples views about gay marriage.



Do you think that homosexual behavior is morally wrong?
-Morally wrong
-Not morally wrong
-Not sure

Do you think that sexual orientation (e.g. whether a person is homosexual) is -genetically determined?
-Determined by upbringing
-Partly genetic, partly by upbringing
-Genetically determined
-Not sure

Do you think that people ever change sexual orientation after they have reached maturity?
-Yes
-No
-Not sure

Would you look down on someone who had an affair while married?
-Yes
-No
-Not sure

Do you believe that sex before marriage is morally wrong?
-Yes
-No
-Not sure

(page 2)

Which comes closest to your view?
-Gay couples should be allowed to marry.
-Gay couples should be allowed to form civil unions, but not to marry.
-There should be no legal recognition of relationships between gay couples.
-Not sure

Are you in favor of an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that legally defines marriage as a union between a man and woman only?
-Strongly favor an amendment
-Favor an amendment with some reservations
-Oppose an amendment with some reservations
-Strongly oppose an amendment
-Not sure

If the public in a state votes to allow gay marriage, should federal courts be able to overturn that law?
-Yes
-No
-Not sure

If one state legalizes gay marriage, should all other states be required to recognize the legality of that marriage?
-Yes
-No
-Not sure

Should gay couples be permitted to adopt children?
-Yes, they should have the same ability to adopt children as straight couples
-Only if there are no straight couples who would adopt the child
-No, gay couples should not be permitted to adopt children
-Not sure

Should homosexuals be permitted to teach in public schools?
-No, gays should never be permitted to be public school teachers
-Gay teachers should only be allowed in high schools
-Yes, there should be no restrictions on homosexual teachers
-Not sure

Do you think the U.S. military should exclude homosexuals from serving?
-Yes
-No
-I would leave the decision to senior military offices
-Not sure

Do you know personally know anybody who is gay?
-Yes
-No
-Don't know

(page 3)

Where do you think Barack Obama stands on gay marriage?
-Strongly in favor
-Somewhat in favor
-Somewhat opposed
-Strongly opposed

Not sure
-In your state, who do you trust more to deal with the issue of gay marriage:
-Your state courts
-Your state legislature
-Not sure


I'm glad I'm not going to be on LJ much longer. This is bonkers.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

How is that propaganda?

[eclexia.livejournal.com]

Wow I've got anon's. From wikipedia:

It is well established that the wording of the questions, the order in which they are asked and the number and form of alternative answers offered can influence results of polls. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_poll#Wording_of_questions)

This is not a new idea. Beyond just influencing the answer to this poll however, it can also be used to try and sway long term opinion by making someone choose a stance. Once someone has chosen a stance, they are much less likely to change than if they are still unswayed.

When you look at the order in which the questions were asked, and the inclusion of common scare tactics in the questions (ie, the adoption and school teacher questions)... it's pretty clear that this poll was designed to produce a specific result.

[(Anonymous)]

I don't see it. To me, this is a straightforward questionnaire designed to judge the public's opinion on homosexuality. What exactly is wrong with the adoption and school teacher questions? They seem like legitimate questions to me. I agree with you that you can play with wording and order and all that to influence results in an opinion poll, but how specifically does this poll do that? It just seems far too straightforward to be sinister in any way.

[eclexia.livejournal.com]

I'll direct you to qwerinty's answer below, but the phrasing, order, and nature of the questions show bias.

[qwerinty.livejournal.com]

The wording of the first couple questions especially set off warning bells. It always asks the negative, instead of a neutral phrasing. The questions then go on to ask WHY you feel it's morally wrong. Hell, just the name of the poll assumes a negative. Also, on Page 3.. How can you have a poll of someone else's opinion? Isn't the point of a poll to show your own?

I have all ads on LJ blocked. I didn't know things like this were posted on here because of it @_____@ *strongly considers dropping LJ altogether rather than use it sparingly*

[(Anonymous)]

Here are the results of this poll, by the way:

http://www.pollingpoint.com/result/18

[qwerinty.livejournal.com]

The results aren't the point. The results were never the point. The point is support of an inherently biased poll. A big reason why those results are what they are is because LJ typically attracts people sympathetic to, or affected by, LGBT rights.

Let me break it on down. Each question uses negative words and structure, when there are many ways to say it neutrally. "Do you think that homosexual behavior is morally wrong?" is easily worded as "How do you feel about homosexuality?" Then list the options in a spectrum order, such as a strong opinion one way, neutrality, then strong opinion the other way, in that order. Instead, nearly every question not ONLY phrases the question to be negative towards homosexuality, but the first option to choose, and the first one people read, is a negative view of homosexuality. Change up the order. Use spectrum ordering. Put a neutral answer first. THAT's the point that eclexia is making: LJ is hosting an obviously biased poll on a charged social issue.

[evildagmar.livejournal.com]

I think possibly the most deranged part is that their poll results show they apparently weren't polling what they appeared to be polling.

...or more likely, they didn't like the results they got and decided to turn things sideways to get an almost tangental "result"--how the questions were answered by Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.

...which makes it clear that Republicans are mostly bigoted assholes, but I think we already knew that one.