Abstract
RECENT discussions in Parliament have directed critical attention to the use of ‘market research’ methods by the Ministry of Information for the purpose of assessing public opinion. The political aspects of the inquiries naturally loomed largest in the debate.It is well to remember, however, that the question is not one solely of the political repercussions of applying a mature scientific procedure. The scientific basis of such work also deserves scrutiny. In at least two important respects the method is scientifically still in its early stages. First, it has not fully explored the possibilities of error which lurk in its basic tool, namely, the question. Secondly, it seldom has any reliable criterion for testing the validity of its results. The work of Muscio (following Stern and Lipmann) demonstrated so long ago as 1916 that the form in which a question is worded has an important effect on the information which it elicits. Muscio showed the importance of points which go far beyond the avoidance of what common sense and legal rulings recognize to be suggestive questions. Unaccountably, Muscio's work has not been carried further by later psychology. Still more unaccountably, no means have been devised of putting his findings to practical account in social inquiries.
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Assessment of Public Opinion. Nature 146, 191 (1940). https://doi.org/10.1038/146191c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/146191c0