I’m not a big fan of…

I’m not a big fan of polls, and this article in the Chicago Tribune explains some of why that is. Regarding polls done during the last Presidential election:

[T]he headlines were written and the issue was framed without the underlying poll data being scrutinized. The race was always “on” and likely much closer than the headlines suggested. Damage was done to the candidate perceived to be losing momentum, first to Kerry when the number of Republicans outnumbered Democrats and then to Bush when the demographics shifted back to historical patterns.

Damage was done because most people believe what they read, trusting that the data had been vetted.

There’s more about polling non-Catholics about direction the Catholic church should take, polling a disproportionate number of liberals on that question, and polls about Social Security and the judicial filibusters. As Instapundit does, I’m thankful that the Tribune had the guts to come out with this story, especially one that includes this paragraph:

I don’t think many would argue with the view that the media as a group is left-of-center, and I contend that this poll went unquestioned because it fit the media’s Democratic-leaning views. That is, the poll jibed with the media’s own hypothesis that the Catholic Church should change and so the conclusion seemed right.

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