In this Book
- The Art of Asking Questions: Studies in Public Opinion, 3
- Book
- 2014
- Published by: Princeton University Press
- Series: Princeton Legacy Library
While the statisticians are trying to knock a few tenths off the statistical error, says Mr. Payne, errors of tens of percents occur because of bad question wording. Mr. Payne's shrewd critique of the problems of asking questions reveals much about the nature of language and words, and a good deal about the public who must answer the poller's questions. For public opinion pollers, census takers, advertising copywriters, and survey makers of all kinds this book will be a tool for the achievement of more reliable results.
Originally published in 1951.
The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Table of Contents
- Foreword (1980)
- pp. vii-viii
- 1. Why concern yourself?
- pp. 3-15
- 2. May we presume?
- pp. 16-31
- 3. Who left it open?
- pp. 32-54
- 4. Boy or girl?
- pp. 55-74
- 5. Win, place, or show?
- pp. 75-99
- 6. How else?
- pp. 100-113
- 7. Still beat your wife?
- pp. 114-128
- 8. Can you make it brief?
- pp. 129-137
- 9. What's the good word?
- pp. 138-157
- 10. What's wrong with "you"?
- pp. 158-176
- 11. Isn't that loaded?
- pp. 177-202
- 12. How does it read?
- pp. 203-213
- 13. Is it possible?
- pp. 214-227
- 14. How's that again?
- pp. 228-238
- References
- pp. 239-242
- General Index
- pp. 243-246
- Index of Examples
- pp. 247-249