Media Activism #4

Loren Siegel’s “How to Work with Public Opinion Research” is a very useful guide. Siegel provides practical information for conducting research for a communications plan including key points to remember when conducting a survey or focus group, important characteristics to look for in a consultant, checklists for funders, and contact information for research firms, consulting firms, and other resources on the web.

The article provides case studies to give examples of strategies and key things to keep in mind when conducting a communications plan. A quote from this guide was very similar to George Lakoff’s argument that emotions outweigh the facts in people’s minds. Siegel writes, “Message development on a given issue, be it the death penalty, welfare reform, or the treatment of immigrants, will require more than marshalling facts, no matter how compelling they may be.” Like Lakoff, she also talks about reframing the debate.

Siegel emphasizes the importance of measuring ‘salience’ when conducting research. She writes, “Broad but passive support will not translate into action”. Using the case of decriminalizing marijuana use, she demonstrates that although there is only a slight difference between people who support and oppose decriminalization (41% to 51%), the people who oppose were much more adamant about their stance and therefore more willing to act on their position. This is a good lesson for polling and framing your questions for surveys to test salience.

The other interesting thing Siegle brought up in the article was to keep in mind whether or not your poll findings will be publicized. She says, “A competent reporter will want to know everything about the survey in order to make a judgment about whether or not it’s scientifically valid.” This is a very good point, however, in light of our discussions in class where we spoke about investigative reporting going down the tubes, I am sure that companies are not disclosing their full findings and reporters are not investigating. This contributes to statistics and polls being taken out of context in the news media and further resulting in the public's mistrust and constant skeptisism of seemingly factual information. Ideally, it is good practice to keep this in mind, allow your research methods to be transparent, and even encourage the reporters to see all of the information to emphasize the solid results of your study.