The issue: The outcome of questions asked due to phrasing, context and order can have a large effect on the responsive of the participant. Sampling and the different techniques that can be used, and the publics opinion on sampling.
Major Strengths: Asher provides multiple examples of questions within polls that have been put in different order/ phrased differently and provided the statistics of the outcome of these polls. I feel that this example is extremely beneficial in understanding just how easily a participants answers can be changed or swayed when tailored to the response they want. I felt that a lot of the questions that related to how the government effected society, or a an issue that would of had a wider impact, the questions that played more to an individuals good nature were used at the beginning.
Major Weakness: The example of telephone sampling does not necessarily hold up in socity today. As we have previously discussed in class almost no one (or very few individuals and their families) have a house phone anymore, people are reluctant to pick up a random call, so telephone sampling would no longer be an effective way to sample a population. The book was written in 2012 so even then I feel like yes telephone sampling could be touched on however it would of been beneficial to go into internet sampling. In the polling chapter the conclusion referenced how the public had a very strong opinion on public financing, however I could not see the original reference to this in the text.
Underlying assumption: Asher’s conclusion was slightly confusing on whether the public were savvy to the effects of context in polling. However it seemed that with larger issues which effected the public they were more aware of loaded questions and the direction in which the survey wanted the questions to turn out. Sampling is a necessary technique, however does it still hold up today with extremely reliable information.
Provocative questions: As previously stated sampling in a non thorough way may be considered not a very effective technique, it would be interesting to find out what is the most effective form of sampling today?