ProLog

Here’s a report from Gallup that shows people’s perception of healthcare quality in the U.S. actually rose this year from last.  They admit, however, they’re stumped when explaining the shift.  What follow-on questions could they ask to shed some light on the cause of this trend?

Another story, this time by the Chicago Tribune, musing about contradicting polling data over healthcare reform.  Some polls suggest support for the public option, others show dissatisfaction with the bills that provide it.  Either the data is wrong, the questions are inconclusive, or the respondents are idiots.  The author, Eric Zorn, and Mark Blumenthal believe it’s the latter.  It should be no surprise to these veterans that asking simple questions to people (of any IQ) about incredibly complex topics should lead to contradictory results.  It doesn’t make for the best media soundbites, but decomposing the problem into very small issues and building up a picture based on those ‘mini-responses’ may paint a clearer pictures.

But who would want to be on the phone that long with a pollster?