Gah! Now that I've released some of my frustration and disgust...
No, it's not stupidity. It was absolutely deliberately crafted that way, right up there with "When did you stop beating your wife?"
There ain't no such thing as a survey question that isn't biased in some way or another. You can attempt to minimize your bias (which these folks obviously didn't do), but to remove it completely is impossible.
Consider the wording of Prop 8 before and after Jerry Brown changed it. Did Prop 8 affirm that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California" or did it "eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry"? Those in favor of Prop 8 screamed about the bias of the latter wording, while those against it had screamed about the bias of the former wording. Is there any way it could have been worded that wouldn't slant one way or the other?
Sorry to have posted something which caused you frustration and disgust. I'd have thought that the whole Prop 8 debacle would have at least temporarily burned out your receptors.
As to how to ask that question in an unbiased way - well, that's a tough one... primarily because bias is at the core of the issue.
Thanks. It was confusing, but I did some other things later to make me feel better, like writing to my state senator and representative with my support for SB 899.
One of them (Senator Duff) responded already, with the usual "thanks for your advocacy", and affirming that he supports it.
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No, it's not stupidity. It was absolutely deliberately crafted that way, right up there with "When did you stop beating your wife?"
There ain't no such thing as a survey question that isn't biased in some way or another. You can attempt to minimize your bias (which these folks obviously didn't do), but to remove it completely is impossible.
Consider the wording of Prop 8 before and after Jerry Brown changed it. Did Prop 8 affirm that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California" or did it "eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry"? Those in favor of Prop 8 screamed about the bias of the latter wording, while those against it had screamed about the bias of the former wording. Is there any way it could have been worded that wouldn't slant one way or the other?
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As to how to ask that question in an unbiased way - well, that's a tough one... primarily because bias is at the core of the issue.
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Reply
One of them (Senator Duff) responded already, with the usual "thanks for your advocacy", and affirming that he supports it.
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