FIGURE 1.4It Depends How You AskIn a classic study, researchers asked two versions of the same question:
(A) Do you think the United States should allow public speeches against democracy?
(B) Do you think the United States should forbid public speeches against democracy?
Answering “no” to Question A (“not allow speeches”) should be the same as answering “yes” to Question B (“forbid speeches”). However, far more respondents answered “no” to Question A than answered “yes” to Question B. According to the researchers, “the ‘forbid’ phrasing makes the implied threat to civil liberties more apparent” than the “not allow” phrasing does (Rugg, 1941). And that’s something fewer people were willing to support.
(A) Do you think the United States should allow public speeches against democracy?
(B) Do you think the United States should forbid public speeches against democracy?
Answering “no” to Question A (“not allow speeches”) should be the same as answering “yes” to Question B (“forbid speeches”). However, far more respondents answered “no” to Question A than answered “yes” to Question B. According to the researchers, “the ‘forbid’ phrasing makes the implied threat to civil liberties more apparent” than the “not allow” phrasing does (Rugg, 1941). And that’s something fewer people were willing to support.