Can You Trust the Polling on Proposition 8?
Last week's Field Poll in California found that voters were likely to reject the state ballot amendment in November that intends to prohibit gay marriage. But are voters really telling pollsters the truth about how they'll vote once they're in the booth? A polling expert examines the numbers and the opposition's claim that the Field Poll just isn't accurate.
By Patrick J. Egan
An
Advocate.com exclusive posted September 23, 2008
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid62114.aspCan You Trust the Polling on Proposition 8?
Do voters lie to pollsters when asked their opinion on banning same-sex marriage? That seems to be the question in California, where a survey last week found voters rejecting a proposed statewide ban on gay marriage by a decisive 17-point margin. Conservatives have countered with a study claiming that voters -- driven by "political correctness" -- substantially underreport their support for banning gay marriage to pollsters.
