Question

4.6 - Evaluating Public Opinion Data

1. What is the bandwagon effect?
2. How can the bandwagon effect influence a candidate's Campaigning?
3. True or False: All three branches of the federal government respond to public opinion polling. Pick one - correct below if false
4. What is candidate error?
5. What is Social Desirability Bias? Provide with example.
6. The number of people willing to participate in a public opinion poll has decreased over time. How can pollsters still collect public opinion data, even if people are unwilling to participate in the survey?
7. What should you know before completely trusting its data? Provide 3 examples​

Answer 1

1) The bandwagon effect refers to the phenomenon where people are more likely to adopt a particular behavior or belief if they perceive that others are also doing so. In other words, people are more likely to "jump on the bandwagon" if they feel like it is the popular or socially acceptable thing to do.

2) The bandwagon effect can influence a candidate's campaigning by creating a sense of momentum or popularity around their campaign. If voters perceive that a particular candidate is gaining support and momentum, they may be more likely to jump on the bandwagon and support that candidate as well. This can create a self-reinforcing cycle where the candidate's perceived popularity leads to even more support, which in turn further reinforces their perceived popularity.

3) False. Only the legislative and executive branches of the federal government are directly responsive to public opinion polling. The judicial branch is meant to be impartial and insulated from public opinion.

4) Candidate error refers to mistakes or missteps made by political candidates during their campaign. This can include things like gaffes, scandals, or misstatements that can hurt the candidate's chances of winning the election.

5) Social desirability bias is a type of response bias where people respond in a way that they believe is socially acceptable or desirable, rather than giving their true opinion. For example, if a person is asked whether they support a particular controversial issue like abortion or gay marriage, they may be hesitant to give their true opinion if they believe that it is not socially acceptable or if they fear being judged by others.

6) Pollsters can still collect public opinion data by using techniques like random digit dialing, where they call random phone numbers and ask people to participate in a survey. They can also use online surveys or other forms of non-traditional polling methods to try and reach a wider range of people.

7) Before completely trusting its data, you should know:

The sample size and how it was selected

The margin of error and confidence interval

The question wording and potential sources of bias (such as leading questions or social desirability bias)