As I was laboring over last week's column, I received a one-line e-mail
from a respected journalist: "Can you please rail against the NYT for their 'neutral' fav/unfav offering?"
Is that enough of a tease? The rest of my NationalJournal.com column, on the differences in the way pollsters ask favorable rating questions, is now online. I hope you will click through and read it all.
The column also includes a prettier version of the following table, which shows the big differences in the favorable rating results for Barack Obama and John McCain on rcent national surveys. The "All Other" column simply totals up all of the responses other than "favorable" or "unfavorable."
Text was gathered from the Polling Report and supplemented with introductory text where available in pollster releases:
ABC News/Washington Post: Do you have a favorable or unfavorable
impression of (NAME)? Do you feel that way strongly or somewhat?CBS/New York Times: Is your opinion of Barack Obama favorable, not
favorable, undecided, or haven't you heard enough about Barack Obama
yet to have an opinion?CNN/Opinion Research Corporation: We'd like to get your overall opinion of some people in the
news. As I read each name, please say if you have a favorable or
unfavorable opinion of these people -- or if you have never heard of
them. Illinois Senator Barack Obama.Gallup: Next, we'd like to get your overall opinion of some people in the news. As I read each name, please say if you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of these people -- or if you
have never heard of them. How about...Barack Obama
LA Times/Bloomberg: Now I'm going to ask you how you feel about several
former and current elected officials. Please tell me whether you feel
negative or positive toward them. If you don't have an opinion, you can
tell me that, too. First...Do you have a positive or negative feeling about Barack Obama? (IF
POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE) Is it very or only somewhat (positive/negative)?NBC/Wall Street Journal: Now I'm going to read you the names of
several public figures, and I'd like you to rate your feelings toward
each one as either very positive, somewhat positive, neutral, somewhat
negative, or very negative. If you don't know the name, please just say
so.Newsweek/PSRA: We'd like your overall opinion of some people in politics. If I mention someone you Have never heard of before this interview, just tell me. What about... Barack Obama? Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of him (her)?
Pew Research Center: Now I'd like your views on some people. As I read
some names, please tell me if you have a favorable or unfavorable
opinion of each person. (First, INSERT NAME) would you say your
overall opinion of... [INSERT ITEM; RANDOMIZE] is very favorable, mostly
favorable, mostly UNfavorable, or very unfavorable? How about (NEXT
NAME)? [IF NECESSARY: would you say your overall opinion of [NAME] is
veryfavorable, mostly favorable, mostly UNfavorable, or very
unfavorable?Qunnipiac: Is your opinion of -- Barack Obama favorable, unfavorable or haven't you heard enough about him?