I just participated in a Pew Research Center poll!

[mnhtnbb]

I was in the middle of fixing dinner when they called. They first asked for a male over 18--and I told
them no one was available. So, then they settled for a female over 18--me.

What a list of questions! I can see why people don't want to participate--it must have taken
at least 15-20 minutes all while I was stirring sauce for pasta and cooking chicken. I turned the water off for cooking the pasta!

There were questions about views on Obama and how well he was doing (she didn't call him President Obama), the economy,the Congress, health care issues and tons of questions about my religious views. They asked if I knew what the holy book was for Islam (no prompt) and what Muslims called their God (no prompt). They wanted to know whether I viewed Muslims as more prone to violence than other religions. They wanted to know my view about the morality of abortion, gay and lesbian marriage, whether women under 18 should have parental consent for abortion and whether gays and lesbians should "push" now for the right to marry.

All the questions on religion were, for me, a waste of time. Religion is not important in my life.
There was no question asking whether I had developed my spiritual views or view of morality
outside the framework of organized religion.

They ended with a series of questions about demographics: age, employment, household income, zip code
and whether I would agree to talk to a reporter. Apparently, they give names of people who have responded
to surveys to reporters who might call doing follow-up articles!


No questions about Iraq, Afghanistan.

What I found most interesting was that the interviewer would break from her script to chat about some of the answers--mostly when she was agreeing with me. The first time she did it she was expressing astonishment that she was getting all these "liberal" answers from someone in North Carolina!


I gave the answer that the Republicans were accountable for not working with President Obama; that I would be disappointed if we don't get health care insurance reform; that I thought President Obama
was doing a good job.

Anybody else ever participated in one of these polls?

On edit: she said the results of the poll would be posted later this month on their website:
http://pewresearch.org/

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Cool!

I've not been interviewed, but I would have loved to answer the question about "What Muslims call their God". I'd start out by saying Muslims say there is only one God. Then I'd say that Muslims who speak English call God "God", and that Jews, Christians, and Muslims who speak Arabic call God "Allah". I have to explain this all the time, and it would be fun to do it to a poll taker.

[mnhtnbb]

2. I've always wondered if they called real people.

[katanalori]

3. The Pew Polls ’smell’ funny…

"Pew Research Foundation was formed in the 1940’s by the Pew family, and numerous members of the Pew family are still a part of the business. Now let’s just look at who Pew’s “friends” are and how they are connected to extreme evangelical conglomerates such as the Heritage Foundation and it’s ‘friends’, some of which have made my list of GOP Criminals. The adage that you are judged by the company you keep is mired in truth. In a discussion about searching for the intellect of the evangelical mind” an Atlantic Monthly article discusses Pew’s part in attempting to revitalize that intelligence."

http://www.theopalinism.com/blog/2009/07/31/the-pew-polls-smell-funny/

[mnhtnbb]

4. No wonder they had all the questions about evangelicals.