By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    healthcare cybersecurity
    4 Helpful Tips on How to Protect Your Medical Practice Against Cyber Attacks
    October 24, 2021
    Health Check Diagnosis Medical Condition Analysis Concept
    6 Health Woes With Online Remedies
    January 19, 2022
    Eight Things Men Should Know About the Male Menopause
    Eight Things Men Should Know About the Male Menopause
    April 24, 2022
    Latest News
    6 Essential Strategies for Improving Your Medical Practice
    January 25, 2023
    Staying Positive While Living with Mesothelioma
    January 24, 2023
    The Many Health Benefits of Being Outdoors
    January 17, 2023
    How to Assess a Safe Placement of a Nasogastric or Nasoenteric Tube and Its Complications
    January 19, 2023
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    How to Help Teens with Depression
    April 3, 2018
    anthem logo
    Blue Cross Blue Shield Provider Anthem Hacked
    February 11, 2015
    Minimizing Nursing Injuries: A Policy-Based Approach
    Minimizing Nursing Injuries: A Policy-Based Approach
    April 14, 2019
    Latest News
    Simplifying the Genetic Testing Process: How At-Home Kits are Changing the Game
    January 25, 2023
    9 Hospitals That Have Introduced Green Initiatives
    January 25, 2023
    Why a Health Retreat Can Be the Best Medicine
    January 12, 2023
    Best Money-Saving Tips for Health Managers
    January 12, 2023
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Poll Position – How You Ask the Question Matters
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
Latest News
ABA therapist
Everything You Need to Know About Applied Behavior Analysis
Health
Small Lifestyle Changes That Can Have A Big Impact On Your Well-Being
lifestyle Wellness
The Future Of Medicine: How Immunotherapy Is Saving Lives
The Future Of Medicine: How Immunotherapy Is Saving Lives
Technology
medical practice and technology advancement
6 Essential Strategies for Improving Your Medical Practice
Technology
digital dental x-ray
How Does A Digital Dental X-Ray Work?
Dental health
Aa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Aa
Search
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Poll Position – How You Ask the Question Matters
Policy & Law

Poll Position – How You Ask the Question Matters

Brad Wright
Last updated: 2011/09/24 at 9:19 AM
Brad Wright
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

A recent article I was reading began like this: “Americans don’t think health care reform is working, and they are especially dubious of government priorities, according to a survey released on Monday by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions.”

A recent article I was reading began like this: “Americans don’t think health care reform is working, and they are especially dubious of government priorities, according to a survey released on Monday by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions.”

A lot of folks stop reading right there–or at least stop thinking right there. In fact, many probably don’t get beyond the phrase “American’s don’t think health care reform is working.” Period. End of sentence. Such tendencies are especially strong in a world besieged by endless streams of nearly instantaneous information. We don’t have (or don’t take) the time to think critically about the information presented to us. It is unfortunate to say the least.

The phrase “Americans don’t think health care reform is working” seems to suggest that all Americans espouse that view. In fact, however, you have to keep reading to find that 49% consider the ACA a good start, while 30% consider it “a step in the wrong direction.” That’s a lot more mixed than the opening sentence would suggest. Indeed, the same survey finds that 76% of consumers do not have a strong understanding of how the health care system works. I could, if I chose, use that result to amend the original headline: “More than 75% of Americans don’t understand how the health care system works, but know ‘Obamacare’ won’t fix it.” Framing matters, and that starts with the polling firm. Ask yourself: Who actually conducted the poll? Do they have a known bias? Were they paid on behalf of an organization with a political agenda?

More Read

getting into medical school

6 Tips for Getting Into Medical School

Do You Need Life Insurance? What Does It Cover?
5 Ways New Technology is Revolutionizing Health
Are your Health Workers Properly Protected?
Your Study Path in Nursing: Hardships in Education and How to Overcome Them

Ultimately, you need to go directly to the poll itself. Here you’ll find not only the data (hopefully), but the instruments used to collect that data. The data is important for the simple reason that figures can be misleading. For example, percentages may look impressive, but may be trivial in nominal terms, or vice versa. Just as important, however, is question wording. The public rarely scrutinizes polls at this level, but the way in which questions are worded can have a profound effect on how people answer the question. Ask people if government should define marriage as an act between a man and a woman, and you’ll get a much more favorable response than you will if you ask whether they believe government should make it illegal for two persons of the same sex to marry each other. The first instance presents a generally favorable idea being supported by government. The second instance asks the same thing in a negative light by focusing on government limiting individuals’ rights. These framing effects are well known, and they often lead to polling results being oversold.

David Grande, Sarah Gollust, and David Asch, all of the University of Pennsylvania, have a wonderful article out in the latest issue of Health Affairs that looks at the various ways in which polls about health reform worded questions pertaining to the individual mandate and the public option. They found what polling experts have long known: How you ask the question matters. Their conclusion–looking across all the different polls–was that “Americans support an expanded role for government in health care that provides more choices and makes insurance more affordable. However, Americans do not want to see the government assume a more prominent role as a dictator of individual decisions.” I think their synthesis of a wide variety of polling data effectively hits the nail on the head, and tells us far more about the American public’s views than any single poll taken as a snapshot of the gospel.

Visit B.Wright Consulting


TAGGED: polls, surveys

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Brad Wright September 24, 2011
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Copy Link Print
Share
Previous Article Cloud Security Concerns of Small & Medium-Sized Businesses Rethinking the Outsourced Cloud – Cloud Security Concerns
Next Article Social Media in Disasters – What’s in Your Disaster Toolkit?

Stay Connected

1.5k Followers Like
4.5k Followers Follow
2.8k Followers Pin
136k Subscribers Subscribe

Latest News

ABA therapist
Everything You Need to Know About Applied Behavior Analysis
Health January 26, 2023
Small Lifestyle Changes That Can Have A Big Impact On Your Well-Being
lifestyle Wellness January 26, 2023
The Future Of Medicine: How Immunotherapy Is Saving Lives
The Future Of Medicine: How Immunotherapy Is Saving Lives
Technology January 26, 2023
medical practice and technology advancement
6 Essential Strategies for Improving Your Medical Practice
Technology January 25, 2023

You Might also Like

at-home genetic testing method kits
Global Healthcare

Simplifying the Genetic Testing Process: How At-Home Kits are Changing the Game

January 25, 2023
green hospitals
Hospital Administration

9 Hospitals That Have Introduced Green Initiatives

January 20, 2023
benefits of going on a health retreat
Global HealthcareHealth

Why a Health Retreat Can Be the Best Medicine

January 12, 2023
saving money in healthcare
BusinessGlobal HealthcareHospital Administration

Best Money-Saving Tips for Health Managers

January 12, 2023
//

We influence million of users and is the most authentic source of information on healthcare business and technology news.

Quick Links

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Subscribe

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

Follow US

© 2008-2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?