Y2 Analytics’ Scott Riding urges caution about the results of the recent much-ballyhooed Salt Lake Tribune gay marriage poll, which Riding says “creates a false impression about the speed of public opinion change on the issue.”
Argues Riding:
Since these polls are different in important ways, we should shy away from making direct comparison of their results and then making inferences about changes in public opinion. For example, over the last few days well-meaning commentators have asserted that support for gay marriage in Utah has grown by 20 percentage points. These polls do not justify that conclusion. If you do happen to mention both the Tribune poll and the CSED polls in the same discussion, make sure to highlight their key differences.
