Tag Archives: survey wording

86% of global respondents agree to quadruple-barreled question about the world after COVID-19

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According to Ipsos, a significant majority of people around the world want life to be better in 2021:

Globally, 86% of all adults surveyed agree that, “I want the world to change significantly and become more sustainable and equitable rather than returning to how it was before the COVID-19 [crisis]”. More precisely, 46% strongly agree and 41% somewhat agree with that proposition, while 14% disagree (10% somewhat and 4% strongly).

Survey questions are supposed to address one issue per question. The question above is trying to get at a general question – do you want the world to be better after COVID-19 – but it adds several dimensions to this question. I count four:

  1. “change significantly”
  2. “become more sustainable”
  3. “become…more equitable”
  4. “rather than returning to how it was before the COVID-19.”

When people agree with this statement, which of these four or how many of these four are they agreeing to? One could want significant change but not care much about sustainability. Or, someone could be in favor of more equitable but not necessarily want much change.

With all of these issues conflated, the general question might be answered. Yes, citizens of the world want a better world in the future. See the summary statement within the report:

But, the question offers no insights and perhaps even muddles things more regarding which aspects of the world should be better. Do people care about equity? Sustainability? Change? A new start? This question does not help in this regard.

Wording matters: more Americans oppose and support Obamacare than support and oppose the Affordable Care Act

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This is a good example of how wording questions differently can lead to different results: support of Obamacare versus the Affordable Care Act.

More Americans oppose the health care law when you call it Obamacare—46% of Americans oppose the health care law when it carries Obama’s name, while just 37% oppose the Affordable Care Act.

When dubbed Obamacare, however, the law has more supporters: 29% of those polled in a new CNBC poll said they supported Obamacare; just 22% of those polled said they supported the Affordable Care Act.

CNBC asked half of its poll respondents about the Affordable Care Act and half of them about Obamacare.

There are a couple of possible explanations here: some people react more negatively or positive to Obama while others might be unclear what exactly the Affordable Care Act is.

Given these results, it makes President Obama’s decision to fully own the Obamacare title as opposed to using a more neutral title. While he might feel the legislation is a signature part of his presidency, its attachment to him rather than having a more bland bureaucratic name might be hurting its cause.