stone savage

zeitgeist: Early fall 2004
ortgeist : American telephone-owners

Ever taken a Gallup survey?

Me neither.

So why is it that those surveys seem to be all we hear about these days?

Every time I turn on the news, read an article in the paper, or look at a news-related website, I’m being inundated with the way “Americans” are “trending” in their thoughts.

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Just a minute here! Who the heck are they getting to answer those polls anyway? Are those poll-takers lining up outside of the exit door at the nearest symphony stage? Maybe they’re sitting at the nearest poor-man’s lunch-counter? Ah, I know, they’re sitting in a Starbuck’s while getting people to answer their questions!

What in the world makes these people think that their very localized groups of people are in any way - shape - or form, indicative of the “way America is trending"? I hate to break it to you, Gallup people, but those answers are only showing you what people who go to Starbucks in that city, at that time, on that street-corner who took your survey are thinking.

I am not one of those people. I will likely never be one of those people. I don’t go to Starbuck’s, you see. Me, I’d rather make my own coffee than spend $5.00 for a cup, thank you very much.

So what is it that I think? A whole lot. I think, for instance, that when I read the results of a poll like this one, that I just want to scream.

Now, I understand that they randomly telephoned some slightly more than 1,000 adults (defined, we assume, as 18 years of age or older). Were these cell-phone users or land-line users? The poll doesn’t tell us that. Did they phone these people during the daytime or in the evening? Were these housewives and househusbands or career folks? Were these people in one particular geographic area? What sorts of economic diviersity was in this polling group? Educational diversity? Racial diversity? How did they verify the person was 18 or older? They don’t tell us any of that. They do tell us, however, that they are 95% certain they only have a plus or minus 3% margin of error…

I’m not a statistician… but I just have to wonder - does that 5% think the margin of error is more or less than 3% - how much more or less? Are we supposed to be more or less confident that these poll results are accurate based on the “methodology” they’ve given to us?

What does all of that stuff mean anyway? I’ll tell you.

Not a damn thing.

All this means is that our politicians, our media, and unfortunately the average citizen, is being pummeled with questions and answers that don’t represent America’s “trends” - and are having our own thoughts carefully shaped by what we think “the majority” of Americans are thinking.

So, If you want to know how America is “trending” in their thoughts about something - you’ll need to dig further than the latest Gallup poll… you’ll need to dig into a cross-section of people that no one ever bothers with - the ones who detest answering surveys.

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