71% want euthanasia legalized

The above headline appeared in a recent newspaper article.  A few days later, there was a letter to the editor about polling, and the art of asking “the question”.

How the pollster asked the question: “Do you believe decriminalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide is the right way to help people die with dignity?” (as an aside, I wonder how many people actually understood the question).

How the reader suggested asking the question: “Do you support killing people who are old or sick”.  Without any intention to make light of such a significant and emotional issue, the reader simply suggested that their question would have resulted in a dramatically lower percentage agreeing to this question (and hence less newsworthy).

In our research capacity, the fine art of “asking the question” is the outcome of:

• Knowledge of the client and business issues,
• Previous experience with similar categories/brands/situations,
• Considered, tested & validated survey language.

With all the complexities surrounding today’s survey design process, let’s remember that it all starts with a good question.