Weekly Trenton Musings

Trenton Musings: Quinnipiac Twists Public Opinion

May 18, 2012 53 percent of New Jerseyans support same-sex marriage, says Quinnipiac (again). Really? Or are pollsters trying to sway public opinion rather than describe it? A new Quinnipiac poll not only claims 53-42 percent support for same-sex “marriage” in New Jersey, but implies that its opponents are a dying breed. Support among respondents under 35 was 77 percent; 58 percent among respondents between 35 and 54. Only among voters over 55 does opposition prevail, at 53-41 percent. Seems straightforward. Problem is, it’s not. This issue is a lot more complicated than just asking one simple question. Experience in over thirty states shows that polls consistently overestimate support for same-sex “marriage.” In every state where marriage has come up for a vote, the people have voted by strong majorities to preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman. We say elections are the only polls that really count. Proponents of same-sex “marriage” know this, which is why they fight tooth and nail to keep it out of the ballot box. So what good does it do to skew the numbers? Let’s look at the psychology of polling to find out.

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