Biased Election Polling?

[c9]

I'm participating in an online survey for Maclean's, the formerly centrist and now moving rather rightward magazine -- and also redesigned to look like a cross between People and TV Guide, incidentally -- and I just found a question that looks a little curious to me:

Is the main role of government to create equal opportunity so that everyone can compete on their own to be the best they can be OR To redistribute wealth so that the poor and disadvantaged have more than they would if left on their own?
Please select one response only.

• To redistribute wealth so poor/disadvantaged have more
• To create equal opportunity so that everyone can compete

I was also asked a few questions about whether taxes should be lower, if we have a hard time making ends meet, etc. Interesting because I like polls, but interesting from a looking-for-bias perspective too.

Comments

[c9.livejournal.com]

The rest of it was fairly neutral, but just something about the three questions on that page made me pause. I'm still not 100% sure it's bias, it could be just the phrasing is different than how I would put it. Though, I suppose that's common for bias anyway.

[simplisticton.livejournal.com]

Remember, you're looking at it with a liberal bias, so it appears slanted to the right.

Well, OK, it is slanted to the right.

[skeezix1000.livejournal.com]

If there's bias in the poll, it wouldn't surprise me, given what's-his-face, name escapes me, now running Maclean's, formerly at National Post. The Post used to be (still is) notorious for misrepresenting polls or asking biased questions. My favourite was before Martin's first surplus budget, when the Post was pushing hard for no new spending/huge tax cuts, but polls were showing that Canadians wanted new spending and smaller tax cuts. So, one Saturday the Posts trumpets a new poll showing that almost 80% of Canadians want tax cuts. But the question was: do you pay too much in taxes? (or something to that effect) With that kind of motherhood question, I'm surprised they didn't get 100%.

[c9.livejournal.com]

Kenneth Whyte.

All the polls done by the media (MSM or small-time) are poorly designed, and few ever realise it. Everyone from the CBC to the Alberta Report. It's depressing. :)