Political Labels - Perceptions

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Linnea
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Political Labels - Perceptions

Post by Linnea » 07-27-2005 05:57 PM

Harris Poll - January 2005

The Harris Poll® #12, February 9, 2005
Political Labels: Majorities of U.S. Adults Have a Sense of What Conservative, Liberal, Right Wing or Left Wing Means, But Many Do Not

Journalists, political activists, and many others routinely use political labels to describe politicians and policies as conservative or liberal, right-wing or left-wing. A new Harris Poll measures what a cross-section of U.S. adults understand by these and other labels.

Most people, it appears, understand these labels in pretty much the same way political pundits do. Large majorities believe that conservatives favor moral values, cutting taxes, and oppose same-sex marriage, gay rights, and abortion rights. Majorities believe liberals favor abortion rights, gay rights, same-sex marriages, and affirmative action. But substantial numbers of people don’t know where conservatives and liberals stand on those and other issues. And some people seem to completely misunderstand these labels.

These are the results of a new Harris Poll of 2,209 U.S. adults surveyed online by Harris Interactive® between January 11 and 16, 2005.

http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris ... sp?PID=542

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Iris
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Post by Iris » 07-27-2005 06:57 PM

Thanks for posting this, Linn.

I took that test, and I know I didn't always give the answers I knew they wanted. It's interesting to differentiate between "perception" and "reality" in some categories. For instance:
50 percent believe that conservatives support gun control or are not sure.
Gun-control senators cheer Bush -- Feinstein, Schumer welcome president's stance on firearm ban
23 percent think that conservatives support abortion rights or are not sure.
Poll: Silent Majority in GOP Supports Choice

The "conservatives/right-wingers" are also thought to be the party of less government, and less spending, but this isn't true. One only has to look at the current deficit and all of the new government departments created under Bush to see that.
We must, indeed, all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately. B. Franklin

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Laird
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Post by Laird » 07-27-2005 07:01 PM

No wonder our country is in trouble ... its those pollsters creating
labels that don't justify the current sentiment of our dishonest
government.
"Speak softly and carry a big stick" Teddy Roosevelt

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Riddick
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Post by Riddick » 07-27-2005 09:21 PM

Harass Poll: Most Americans don't know the difference

A new Harass poll shows most Americans don't know the difference.

When asked to distinguish between their @$$ and a hole in the ground.an astounding 2/3ds of respondents couldn't make a definite determination. Also astonishingly, the results were virtually the same across all demographic groups.

One fifth knew the difference. The remainder knew diddly-squat.

While there yet is a significant number of people who do know the difference, the Powers That Be do not currently consider them to be a threat to the status quo.

"The public shouldn't know any more or less than we want them to - especially when it comes to the Truth," said TPTB's spokesperson Helen Blazes. "While some still know the difference, so long as most don't do anything about it, we're OK."

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