[WS:] Good point. I wonder, however, what the results would be if better methodology were used. For example, if the respondents were shown the actual government spending and revenue figures (e.g. from the NIPA tables) and then they were asked to balance the budget by making specific budget cuts or tax increases. Something like that was done by the LA Times to "balance" the CA budget, but I wonder if the summary results, properly weighted, were ever reported. I do not think creating an analogous measure and reporting the results would be terribly difficult for, say, the Left Business Observer or The Nation, not to mention the NYT.
Wojtek
On Sat, Apr 30, 2011 at 1:52 PM, Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
>
> On Apr 30, 2011, at 11:39 AM, Wojtek S wrote:
>
>> http://www.gallup.com/poll/147338/Americans-Blame-Wasteful-Government-Spending-Deficit.aspx
>>
>> [WS:] It seems that most Americans believe in flat earth economics.
>> In this light, Obama's administration should be admired for their
>> heroic stand against the idiocy of the American popular "wisdom."
>
> The question is also very tendentiously worded, using the word "wasteful." If they'd asked specific questions, e.g. about Medicare and SS, you'd have gotten very different results. I'm surprised Gallup did this - I might take it up with the AAPORites.
>
> Doug
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