Yup, Doug is right, the rate of refusals to phone polling, just in the 3 yrs. I have been doing it, I've seen go up.
When, I'm having a bad day @ work, that seems to be the day I'll get a bunch of rightist kooks refuse in a very rude manner, after they complain of the (non-existant) bias against conservatives by polling orgs. The last guy that did, on a pollution/air emissions study gave me a rant against "environmental extremists" and government regulation for about 5 minutes. I waited him out, then said I'd be happy to pass on his feelings on a "respondent comment form" about bias, if he would reconsider, and do the survey which usually lasted 5 minutes. Click.
In Defense of Public Opinion Polling by Kenneth F. Warren Constructing
Public Opinion
by Justin Lewis
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0231117671/ref=pd_luc_17_lc_a53x0/104-
9427457-2376736
> ...Book Description
Is polling a process that brings "science" into the study of society? Or
are polls crude instruments that tell us little about the way people
actually think? The role of public opinion polls in government and mass
media has gained increasing importance with each new election or poll
taken. Here Lewis presents a new look at an old tradition, the first study
of opinion polls using an interdisciplinary approach combining cultural
studies, sociology, political science, and mass communication. Rather than
dismissing polls, he considers them to be a significant form of
representation in contemporary culture; he explores how the media report on
polls and, in turn, how publicized results influence the way people respond
to polls. Lewis argues that the media tend to exclude the more progressive
side of popular opinion from public debate. While the media´s influence is
limited, it works strategically to maintain the power of pro-corporate
political elites. Hmm. Higgs has had some tough anti-war op-eds in the SF
Chronicle. http://www.independent.org/tii/news/931000Higgs.html