It Depends How You Ask
In 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 (in other words, not allow speeches) should be the same as answering “yes” to Question B (in other words, 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, p. 91). And that’s something fewer people were willing to support.
In 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 (in other words, not allow speeches) should be the same as answering “yes” to Question B (in other words, 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, p. 91). And that’s something fewer people were willing to support.