I turns out, those push polls do work. Using hidden information in a well crafted push poll, subjects can be made to change their minds, do a screeching 180 from their morality, and turn into shameless supporters of issues they'd never have dreamed they'd support prior to taking the poll. How a question is asked, or a poll is presented, can affect the poll subject in ways never imagined by Average John/Jane Smith (or whatever they use on that motel reservation...but I digress.)
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A simple survey trick can cause people to unwittingly change their views 180 degrees, even causing them to fight on the side of their new viewpoint.

How does this under-the-radar trick work, and is it possibly implemented on the people, but on a bigger scale?

Last week, PLoS ONE reported the results of the research led by Lars Hall; cognitive scientist at Sweden's Lund University. A two-page survey with 12 definitive statements about moral issues - micro to macro - to which 160 participants had to decide which level they either agreed or disagreed.

What was the magic trick that slipped in the belief reversal? The survey statements they responded to were on what was only a square top-layer slip of paper. The back of the clipboard had a spot of glue to correlate with the slip. Since the survey was two pages, survey takers would flip the first page and the slip of their statements stuck to the back of the clipboard revealing the bottom layer. The "new" questions dealt with the same moral issues but some of the statements were completely opposite. Only two statements in each set were reworded and all the answers were left unchanged. Source

That quote above is taken from one authors view of this procedure, which if you think about it, means that morality is not to tightly fixed, even in those that might think their morality is secure and grounded.
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The researchers, led by Lars Hall, a cognitive scientist at Lund University in Sweden, recruited 160 volunteers to fill out a 2-page survey on the extent to which they agreed with 12 statements — either about moral principles relating to society in general or about the morality of current issues in the news, from prostitution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

But the surveys also contained a ‘magic trick’. Each contained two sets of statements, one lightly glued on top of the other. Each survey was given on a clipboard, on the back of which the researchers had added a patch of glue. When participants turned the first page over to complete the second, the top set of statements would stick to the glue, exposing the hidden set but leaving the responses unchanged. Source
Perhaps this study will go a long way to assisting us in understanding why people that ordinarily would never vote against their own self interest, will chuck it all to appear to side with issues they would otherwise shun.

In 2004, right before the election, I tried to put myself into a mindset where I would support a candidate for president I had railed against in months preceding the election silly season. I tried, really. It took Herculean effort, and I only lasted about 3 hours, but managed to get through a party without embarrassing my family, which for reasons unknown to this day, includes a set of friends of family that veritably worshiped a certain Republican office holder.

By the end of the evening, and with the help of mild recreational chemicals in the form of a glass of wine, I managed to civilly discuss tax policy, education efforts, overseas manufacturing and health care. I never uttered a word that was actually honest, and yet, by saying "umm" and "hmm", and "well..." a lot, I ended up feeling I'd run a marathon, and yet no one was the wiser.

And the family friends are, this year, voting for Obama because Romney scares the bejeebers out of them. No survey was involved.

But, if this technique works, along with hacking the voting machines, we might just have somethings to worry about on election day, unless of course the polling services show an 8 point lead for Obama. Sheesh.


"I am young, whole, perfect, strong, powerful, loving, harmonious, and happy." ~~~ Kato Havas