How The Associated Press polls were conducted

Yahoo! ^ | 10/27/12 | The Associated Press

[mdittmar]

The Associated Press polls were designed to dig into one of the most sensitive subjects in American politics: racial attitudes and their effect on how people will vote in an election in which the nation's first black president could be re-elected.

The surveys, designed by AP and researchers at Stanford University, University of Michigan and NORC at the University of Chicago, included overt questions aimed at understanding people's attitudes toward blacks and Hispanics, such as how well words like "friendly" or "violent" describe African-Americans or Hispanics. They were also asked their views of President Barack Obama and his challenger, former Gov. Mitt Romney.

Since many people are uncomfortable discussing race with pollsters or others they do not know, and some may not be aware of their own biases, the polls also used subtler techniques.

For one thing, the surveys were conducted online. Studies have shown people are more willing to reveal potentially unpopular attitudes on a computer than in questioning by a live interviewer.

The polls also used a technique aimed at measuring what psychologists call "affect misattribution." This involved showing faces of people of different races quickly on a screen before displaying a neutral image that people were asked to rate as pleasant or unpleasant. Studies have shown that people consciously or unconsciously transfer their feelings about the photograph to the object they are rating.

[FlingWingFlyer]

So shrinks are doing the polls now. No wonder they’re all over the map. This explains a lot.

[onyx]

Not shrinks, psychologists. They're meddlesome.

[mdittmar]

Can still remember carter,hostage crisis,gas lines,guess I was to young then to know I was prejudice.

[BeAllYouCanBe]

White liberal guilt - dog whistle - secret code - redneck detecting - highly scientific I am sure.

[Chode]

i work in The Peoples Republic of Ithaca which for it's size because of Cornell and IC has the most diverse population in all New York outside of NYC

i come in contact with ethnic people from China to Columbia, India to Israel, Thailand to Timbuktu, you name the country and i've dealt with them

and without a doubt, the rudest/scariest people i come i contact with are entitlement minded blacks on welfare or work in some capacity for the government from teachers to city workers.

those that have real jobs, ie NOT government jobs, are pretty much good people just like anybody else

[MamaTexan]

included overt questions aimed at understanding people's attitudes toward blacks and Hispanics, such as how well words like "friendly" or "violent" describe African-Americans or Hispanics.

So, when people were asked if Africans Americans were 'violent' MOST people said 'yes' because a good number of people know that patricular 13% of the population commits over 50% of the crimes.......and that makes them RACIST?

Alllllrightythen! LOL!