In Addition . . .


My previous blog post dealt with the wording of a poll from WaPo that detailed a question about how folks felt about the ongoing debate over the public option.

The wording in that poll was quite different than what had been used previously. In my opinion the wording was so convoluted in relationship to what a public option is that it was almost worthless to ask the question in that manner.

Although, the main point that was being stressed in that particular question dealt with whether or not those polled gave a big whoop whether or not they wanted a bi-partisan effort or a plan even without Republican support.

Now on the general question, without getting into the statistical outcomes, how have the various polling outfits been framing the overall issue whether a person supports or opposes the ongoing efforts?

Following is a list at Pollster.com of various polling outfits and their framing of the question as to whether of not those polled "favor" or "oppose" the ongoing efforts with the health care reform plans :

Question Text:

Democracy Corps	As you may have heard, President Obama is preparing a plan to change the health care system. From what you have heard about this plan, do you favor or oppose Obama's health care proposal?
Pew	As of right now, do you generally favor or generally oppose the health care proposals being discussed in Congress?
NBC / WSJ	From what you have heard about Barack Obama's health care plan, do you think his plan is a good idea or a bad idea? If you do not have an opinion either way, please just say so.
Rasmussen	Generally speaking, do you strongly favor, somewhat favor, somewhat oppose or strongly oppose the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and the congressional Democrats?
NPR	As you may have heard, President Obama and the Democrats in Congress are preparing a plan to change the health care system. From what you have heard about this plan, do you favor or oppose Obama and the Democrats' health care proposal?
Fox	Based on what you know about the health care reform legislation being considered right now, do you favor or oppose the plan?
CNN	From everything you have heard or read so far, do you favor or oppose Barack Obama's plan to reform health care?
PPP	Do you support or oppose President Obama's health care plan, or do you not have an opinion?
ABC/Post	Overall, given what you know about them, would you say you support or oppose the proposed changes to the health care system being developed by Congress and the Obama administration? Do you feel that way strongly or somewhat?
Ipsos/ McClatchy	As of right now, do you favor or oppose the healthcare reform proposals presently being discussed?
YouGov	Overall, given what you know about them, do you support or oppose the proposed changes to the health care system being developed by Congress and the Obama administration?
Public Opinion Strategies	From what you have heard about Barack Obama's health care plan, do you think his plan is a good idea or a bad idea? If you do not have an opinion either way, please just say so.
AP-GfK	In general, do you support, oppose or neither support nor oppose the health care reform plans being discussed in Congress?
Harris	Even if you don't know the details of his plan, how do you feel about President Obama's proposals for health care reform?
OnMessage	Do you favor or pppose the current health care legislation being pushed by President Obama and the Democrats in Congress?
Bloomberg	In general, do you favor or oppose President Obama's plan for health care reform?
CBS/Times	Do you mostly support or mostly oppose the changes to the health care system proposed by Barack Obama, or don't you know enough about them yet to say?
Gallup	Thinking about health care legislation now being considered by Congress, would you advise your member of Congress to vote for or against a healthcare bill this year, or do you not have an opinion?
AllState / National Journal	And, on the topic of health care, as you understand it, do you support or oppose the current legislation to reform health care in the U.S.

http://www.pollster.com/polls/us/healthplan.php


I think the Harris question is the one that takes the cake: "Even if you don't know the details of his plan, how do you feel about President Obama's proposals for health care reform?"

Overall, it's quite obvious that these outfits are all over the map when framing their question.

In twenty-five (25) words or less, try and frame the question . . .


~OGD~

 

   Hmmmm . . .


I haven't heard this type of framing of the question before in any poll . . .

Does anyone have any thoughts, comments, or opinions on what this means?


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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/polls/postpoll_101909.html?sid=ST2009101902502

10. Which of these would you prefer - (a plan that includes some form of government-sponsored health insurance for people who can't get affordable private insurance, but is approved without support from Republicans in Congress); or (a plan that is approved with support from Republicans in Congress, but does not include any form of government-sponsored health insurance for people who can't get affordable private insurance)?

  Prefer government-   Prefer Republican   Neither/No
 sponsored insurance        support        plan (vol.)

         51                   37                6       

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Washington Post-ABC News Poll

This Washington Post-ABC News poll was conducted by telephone Oct. 15-18, 2009, among a random national sample of 1,004 adults including users of both conventional and cellular phones. The results from the full survey have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three points. Sampling, data collection and tabulation by TNS of Horsham, Pa.

*= less than 0.5 percent

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And it may interest you to take a read from Greg Sargent's  blog at the Plum Line

WaPo Poll: Majority Wants Public Option More Than Bipartisanship For Its Own Sake


And here's an additional WaPo article citing their latest poll:

Public option gains support
Clear Majority Now Backs Plan
Americans still divided on overall packages

By Dan Balz and Jon Cohen Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 20, 2009

~OGD~