4 Ways Slate Misinterpreted the Failed Gun Control Vote Poll from WashPost/

iMediaEthics publishes international media ethics news stories and investigations into journalism ethics lapses.

Menu

Home » Media Polls»

(Credit: Wikipedia/http://flickr.com/photos/glasgows/ )

The Washington Post and Pew announced last week that only 15% of Americans were “angry” at the U.S. Senate’s failure to pass the gun bill that included required background checks for gun buyers. Another 32% were “disappointed,” for a total of just 47% who reacted negatively to the failed vote. Reacting favorably were 39% of Americans – 19% saying they were “relieved” and 20% “very happy.”

Those results led Josh Voorhees of Slate to suggest that the “window” of opportunity to enact stricter gun control laws – “created by a spike in public support for the background check provision, seen as the best bet for bipartisan common ground – may be closing fast.”

But, there are four main points in Voorhees’ commentary that reflect a misunderstanding of polls, American politics, and public opinion.

1. First, it’s important to recognize that a spike in public support for gun control, in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, was not the catalyst that led to the Senate’s efforts to pass its gun control bill.

Widespread public support for background checks was measured by several polling organizations long before that shooting. What made the post-Sandy Hook shooting different was the reaction of many political leaders, including President Obama, who vowed to do something about gun violence.

2. Second, the spike in public support for gun control in general was at best mild, with about four in ten Americans strongly supporting stricter laws. There was slight to no spike in support specifically of background checks, which was already very high anyway.  Moreover, the spike in support came after President Obama and many other political leaders vowed to do something about gun violence, not before.

3. Third, Voorhees makes a serious mistake in interpreting two different polls, when he writes:

“Less than half of Americans surveyed suggested they were upset or unhappy about the Senate vote—a far cry from the 83 percent support for expanding background checks that the same pollster found as recently as February.”

Voorhees is right that the 47% in the current Pew poll who said they were angry or disappointed is much lower than the 83% who in February supported expanding background checks.  But, he fails to take into account that the questions in the two polls are worded quite differently. The question in the current Pew poll asks:

“What word best describes how you feel about the Senate voting down new gun control legislation that included background checks on gun purchases?”

The question in the February Pew poll asked:

“Please tell me if you would favor or oppose making private gun sales and sales at gun shows subject to background checks?”

The two questions do not ask about the same policy – the February one focuses only on background checks, while the current question mentions “new gun control legislation” that also includes background checks.

As I wrote in an earlier post, there is much less public support for the general  idea of gun control legislation than there is for some specific proposals, like background checks. When the current Pew/Post poll included the general question about gun control, it nullified any comparison with the February question.  You can look at the Pew topline to see that Pew itself does not make such a comparison.

4. Finally, just as Voorhees is wrong to suggest that the recent effort to enact new gun control legislation was stimulated largely by a spike in public support, he is also wrong to suggest the window of opportunity is closing because of declining public support.

If anything, the window is closing (at least at the federal level) because of the actual filibuster vote in the Senate and the refusal of Republicans to allow an up-or-down vote on the issue itself.

If public support for background checks in the 80% to 90% range cannot move the Congress to support new legislation, then we need to look beyond public opinion as the cause.

iMediaEthics has written to Voorhees seeking a response to this criticism and will update with any response.

Submit a tip / Report a problem

4 Ways Slate Misinterpreted the Failed Gun Control Vote Poll from WashPost/Pew

Share this article:

คาสิโน
สล็อต
sa gaming
tkb365
https://tkb399.com/login
ทดลองเล่นสล็อต
ทำความรู้จักกับ
PG
สล็อต
tkb138
sa gaming
https://www.hotelplayagolf.com/es/instalaciones/piscinas
tkb365
บาคาร่า
สล็อตเว็บตรง
บาคาร่า
ทดลองเล่นสล็อตฟรี
ทดลองเล่นสล็อต pg
สล็อตเว็บตรง
สล็อตเว็บตรง
tkb138
ซุปเปอร์สล็อต
tkb138
tkb365
ทดลองเล่นสล็อต
changbet789
สูตรสล็อต pg ทดลองเล่นฟรี
สล็อต ดาวน์โหลด รับเครดิตฟรี
สล็อต
ทดลองเล่นสล็อต
tkb138
https://www.hotelalbora.com/
https://tkb108.co/register
tkb696
สล็อตเว็บตรง
changbet789
สล็อตทดลอง
pg
betflix
pg slot
สล็อต
pg slot
สล็อตเว็บจริง100%
ทดลองเล่นสล็อต
sbobet
ดลองเล่นสล็อต pg
tkb138
https://titanium-hotel.com/
สล็อต
tkb138
taokaebet
tkb777
อันดับแรก
คาสิโน
changbet789
แจกเครดิตฟรี 100%
ทดลองเล่นสล็อตทุกค่ายฟรี
สล็อต
changbet789
tkb365
ทดลองเล่นสล็อต
changbet789
finfinbet
คาสิโน
changbet789
tkb108
tkbneko
สล็อตเว็บตรง
สล็อต
สล็อต
สล็อต
https://www.gday96.com/
สล็อต888
สล็อต
PG
บาคาร่าเว็บตรง
changbet789
ทดลองเล่นสล็อต pg
ทดลองเล่นสล็อต
ทดลองเล่นสล็อตฟรี
tkb365
tkb365
tkb365
tkb555
tkb555
tkb555
tkb555
tkb555
tkb555
tkb555
tkbking
tkbking
tkbking
tkbking
tkbking
tkbking
thb889
thb889
thb889
thb889
thb889
thb889
thb889
tkb4
tkb4
tkb4
tkb4
tkb4
tkb4
tkb4
tkb9
tkb9
tkb9
tkb9
tkb9
tkb9
tkb9
tkb33
tkb33
tkb33
tkb33
tkb33
tkb33
tkb33
finfinbet
finfinbet
finfinbet
finfinbet
finfinbet
finfinbet
finfinbet
TKB96
tkb96
tkb96
tkb96
tkb96
tkb96
tkb96
tkbfun
tkbfun
tkbfun
tkbfun
tkbfun
tkbfun
tkbfun
tkbpg
tkbpg
tkbpg
tkbpg
tkbpg
tkbpg
tkbpg
tkbpussy
tkbpussy
tkbpussy
tkbpussy
tkbpussy
tkbpussy
tkbpussy
tkbrich
tkbrich
tkbrich
tkbrich
tkbrich
tkbrich
tkbrich
tkbsexy
tkbsexy
tkbsexy
tkbsexy
tkbsexy
tkbsexy
tkb777
tkb777
tkb777
tkb777
tkb777
tkb777
tkb777
taokaebet
taokaebet
taokaebet
taokaebet
taokaebet
taokaebet
taokaebet
tkbsexy
tkbrich
tkbpussy
tkbpg
tkbfun
tkb96
tkb33
tkb9
tkb4
thb889
tkbking
tkb555
tkb365
changbet789
บาคาร่า
คาสิโนออนไลน์
sa gaming
คาสิโนออนไลน์สด
สล็อต
สล็อต
สล็อตเว็บตรง
ทดลองเล่นสล็อต pg ซื้อฟรีสปิน
ทดลองเล่นสล็อต
บาคาร่า
สล็อต เว็บตรงไม่ผ่านเอเย่นต์ไม่มีขั้นต่ำ