Topic > Examining the Gallup Democratic Party Poll

Gallup recently conducted a poll to measure the Democratic Party's standing in public opinion. They published the article "Democratic Party's Favorable Rating Falls to All-Time Low" on November 12, 2014 which highlighted both the Democrats' and Republicans' ratings, compared to their ratings since the question was first asked in 1992. Although Democrats have clearly fallen out of favor, Republicans have shown little sign of improvement, indicating that the people are dissatisfied with the government as a whole. The poll took place Nov. 6-9, after midterm elections that heavily favored Republicans. The article mentions the rise of the Democratic Party after President Obama's re-election and its descent during the term, caused by various setbacks by the Obama administration. The survey presented is one of the most reliable, not only for the crucial aspects reported, but also for the extra information provided to give the reader an idea of ​​how it was conducted. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The bulk of the article explains how much the Democratic Party's popularity has declined over the years, to an all-time low of 36%. As previously mentioned, after President Obama's reelection, the rating peaked at 51% (Dugan 2014). This drastic change is due to the difficulties encountered during the presidency, such as international crises and the negative response to Ebola in the United States, to name a few (Dugan 2014). The poll was conducted to see where the parties stand in the eyes of the public, with the results showing that Americans are very dissatisfied with their government, which includes both parties. The survey was conducted by telephone, split evenly between cell phone and landline users. 828 people over the age of 18 were interviewed, 430 were men while 398 were women. Telephone calls were made by randomly dialing digits. The survey methodology attached to the article stated that the samples were “weighted to match national demographics.” This additional information removes any doubt as to whether certain groups were specifically excluded or included. The sample size is quite small for the question asked, but the weighted samples make up for the lack of numbers. The wording of the question is an important factor in how the individual responds (Kollman 2014, 309). The wording in this case was as follows: “We would like to know your general opinion about some people in the news. As I read each name, please tell me whether you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of these people – or whether you have never heard of them” (Jones and Saad 2014). The names of government officials were then listed, in random order based on their party affiliation. This allows the individual not to associate the official with a specific party, focusing solely on his name. The response option “I haven't heard of it” could be a problem. The individual can only choose this option to have the survey finished sooner if they are impatient or don't have much time. The margin of error for this survey was +4% at the 95% confidence level (Jones and Saad 2014). The mention of the confidence level is the extra information provided to assure the reader of the effectiveness of the survey. The article states in the conclusion that Democrats now have a “battered image” (Gallup 2014), which has shifted away from the GOP. The position of the Republicans among the people is considered favorable, but..