Is Public Opinion Really the Public's Opinion?

image
Tisha CasidaTisha Casida
Published: 17 Jul, 2012
2 min read

There are approximately 307 million Americans living in the United States of America, and we can gauge the ‘public opinion’ of most of them. Or can we? We talk about public opinion like it is a science, but I think it is an art– and most of it is in the interpretation of the data and the way that these data are gathered in the first place.

Already nearly in full swing, the election year brings with it a bunch of talking heads that use various polls to spout their opinion and ideas about what will happen in November. And this is one year where I think that the ‘apathetic’ and uncounted group of Americans (who are often not a part of public polling), may start to affect the reliability of these already relatively weak indicators.

Yes, there are always predictions that can be made, but unless they are counting the entire country’s population as a sample (an impossible task), there is still a margin of error, and that margin of error is the margin of doubt of one poll or one statistic being able to gauge public opinion.

With the humility to say that I don’t really know, and the confidence to say that they don’t really know either, I want to remind voters that all numbers can be manipulated, all questions and data can be leading and/or deceiving, and many people who have an opinion never give it to the people asking for it. And when the silent people of this country act, be it with their vote or their dollar, the economy and communities in which we live will respond. We will be better off for it, and we will see history being made as we change our destiny according to the people at the bottom of this pyramid.

Growing up in the marketing industry, I have so much respect for people who work with public opinion – it is certainly a trade that is both interesting and useful to the marketing of products and services (and political candidates). However, as someone who has spoken with literally thousands of individuals, I feel assured in saying that it is impossible to truly gauge public opinion in a way that captures all of the public– so don’t give it more credit than what it is worth.

Photo Credit: msresearchinc.com

You Might Also Like

National Reform Organizations Condemn Texas and California Over Gerrymandering
National Reform Organizations Condemn Texas and California Over Gerrymandering
The United States has passed the point of no return in the unprecedented mid-cycle redistricting fight between Texas and California, which threatens to expand to other states like Republican-controlled Florida and Democratic-controlled New York....
25 Aug, 2025
-
6 min read
Gerrymandering Wars Escalate Beyond Texas and California: A National Race to the Bottom?
Gerrymandering Wars Escalate Beyond Texas and California: A National Race to the Bottom?
Republicans currently hold a narrow 219 to 212 edge over Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives, with four vacancies: three from Democratic members who have died and one from a Republican who has resigned. This is the smallest House majority held by either party in nearly a century. The razor-thin margin means the stakes in the 2026 midterms could not be higher. With so few competitive seats left nationwide, both parties are turning to mid-decade redistricting as a way to secure advantages....
27 Aug, 2025
-
10 min read
Hand in ballot that says independent on it.
Why 1.2 Million California Independents Are The Biggest Wild Card in American Politics Today
The fate of Proposition 50, California’s proposed redistricting measure, may come down to voters who have declined to join one of the two major political parties....
22 Aug, 2025
-
5 min read