Weekend question I: How valuable is debate now that pro-lifers lead in the polls?
A reader who works for New Mexico State University posed an interesting question in an email to me: “Now that the pro-lifers hold a slight lead in most popular opinion polls, how valuable is it really when it comes to turning hearts in a discussion?”
S/he based her question on a recent study posted at Science Daily that found:
What would happen if you developed a strong opinion on an issue, and later found that the majority of people disagreed with you?
You might think that such a revelation would encourage you to rethink your beliefs. But a new study suggests people often react just the opposite: people grow more confident in some beliefs when they find out later that a majority of people disagree with them.
“It may be that you feel proud because you were able to disprove, in your own mind, an opinion that most people have accepted,” said Richard Petty, co-author of the study and professor of psychology at Ohio State University.
“You actually become doubly sure you were right.”…
The results suggest how would-be persuaders could strategically reveal the majority or minority status of a proposal to achieve the maximum persuasive effect.
If you feel you have a weak argument, it should be best to suggest right away that a lot of people support your issue, before you make your case. In that case, you’re hoping that the majority endorsement will prevent people from counterarguing. People will rely on the “wisdom of the crowd” to guide their thoughts, without actually considering the issue, Petty explained.
If you tell people you have majority support after you make your weak arguments, it is too late – it will only serve to give people confidence in the negative thoughts they have generated about your cause, Petty said.
But for those with a strong argument, it can be helpful to reveal wide support for your proposal after explaining it, as this gives people confidence in the positive thoughts they have generated to your strong arguments, Petty said….
Thoughts?
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
“If you feel you have a weak argument, it should be best to suggest right away that a lot of people support your issue, before you make your case.”
This is exactly what the abortion movement did in its early days, according to Bernard Nathanson. Spot on.
As for the value of debate now, I’m a bit biased, having just come out of a terrible facebook “debate” where I was told I ought to develop a drinking problem. (Points for creativity, I guess?) Still, objectively… our majority is young and slight. I’d like to see a few more percentage points, and that means going out there and convincing people!
So, let me get this strait… The American medical community “you know the people who actually go to school to study medicine” has viewed abortion as a legitimate and sometimes necessary medical procedure since the 70’s but because you guys can convince internet geeks and jesus freaks with propaganda that your right in larger numbers than the medical community can with medical facts, we should all listen to you now? So, if the majority of citizens in this country said jumping off a 500 foot cliff into an empty pool was a good idea but the dept. of health and safety said it was a bad idea, we should all go put on our swimsuits anyway?
We should always be ready to defend the pro life position. Go to http://www.prolifetraining.com and get prepared. It is not a matter of winning an argument but saving a life.
A man convinced against his will
is of the same opinion stll.
The best men can do is change minds.
Only God can change their hearts.
Polls can be a tricky business. The numbers matter less than the methodology used: what questions were asked, how the questions were asked, and how the terms are defined.
How is “Pro-life” being defined in these polls? If the definition includes people who oppose abortion except in cases of rape or incest, then we really don’t have a legitimate increase in the numbers on our side. This can be part of a strategy known as push-polling, where an agenda is being pushed through a manipulation of the poll’s internals.
Example, if pro-aborts in the media wish to generate the illusion of momentum, then the first thing to do is push the numbers in the direction of the pro-lifers by using the most expansive definition of pro-life. This generates an uptick in the numbers. Next, wait for some polarizing event, such as the murder of an abortionist, attempted bombing of an abortion clinic, etc, and then commission a poll using the most restrictive definition of pro-life in language that dares the respondent to affiliate with what they perceive as a sharing in the beliefs of the murderer. This generates a large swing in the numbers which is entirely a manipulation, a fabrication.
It’s dishonest, but it’s done all the time.
We should never put our stock in poll numbers, as they are manipulated by the media all the time. We need to keep up the presentation of the scientific data that show the gynecologic, reproductive, psychiatric and oncological sequellae of abortion. We need to show just how devastating abortion is to women, men, and families. We need to witness to hope, and to support pregnant women and their young families in our churches and communities.
The most reliable indicators of our success will be the drop in the numbers of abortions, the rise in the number of pro-life candidates elected to office. These are impervious to being maniulated the way polling data are.
I invite any of you to join me in parachuting deep into enemy territory by commenting on the facebook pages of NPR and the Washington Post. We spend way too much time preaching to the choir while so many remain blissfully unaware of medical science and human rights accords regarding abortion. We chalked our URL on just 5 construction barriers at UVA 2 weeks ago, and got over 2500 hits to our website the next few days. Old school publicity taking on new school media bias.
This poll is BS to the end. Do you know how many PP’s there are in this country? Every single one of them has hundreds and thousands of patients/supporters who come in just to get birth control every month…
We have you vastly outnumbered by miles…
Gotta love the irony… point out that the first refuge of a poor argument is to set the argument aside and focus on greater numbers…. and here comes Biggz… “We have you vastly outnumbered by miles…” with no focus on the argument itself….
Talk about a great object lesson on how those with no facts must resort to such lame tactics!
Biggz,
Well, I guess the more milage you have, the more blood of innocents you have to answer for when you die and meet God at the Throne of Judgement. Proud of those 52+ million dead babies, the lies told to the mothers by abortionists? Boast away Biggz, but you have a date with God, as do we all.
Once He calls you, it’s too late to do anything about your blood-stained hands. Think about it.
Oh..BTW Biggz, as regards your statement:
“So, let me get this strait… The American medical community “you know the people who actually go to school to study medicine” has viewed abortion as a legitimate and sometimes necessary medical procedure since the 70?s but because you guys can convince internet geeks and jesus freaks with propaganda that your right in larger numbers than the medical community can with medical facts, we should all listen to you now?”
Your bloated, nonspecific commentary needs some cleaning up. ALL, I repeat, ALL of the medical literature on abortion is negative. Drop by my blog for articles linking to WHO, CDC, NIH data.
Jill and I, as many others here, are medical professionals. The truth is that abortion is regarded with disgust by the vast majority of those in the medical community. Abortionists are dead-enders, pariahs. I really don’t mind people crowing on the other side of the fence, so long as the data are on their side. The sad fact for your side is that the data are all on our side. All you’re sitting on is the bones of 52 million dead babies in this country since 1973, 1.8 BILLION worldwide since 1960. the year of my birth.
Has the world become a better place to live in since 1960? Has hunger, famine, disease, poverty increased or decreased since then? Are people happier and more fulfilled, or more miserable? Ask 130 million Chinese young men with not enough women to marry.
Facts, Biggz. Facts. What have you got in the way of facts?
It’s always valuable to debate the issue of life, but since we pro-lifers are ahead in the polls, it is doubly valuable to continue debating the issue of life, to continue to make our case for preserving life.
I actually think we now need to redouble outreach. If we mobilize pro-lifers, eventually we can hit critical mass and finally “win”.
Ashley,
You have a valid point…up to a point. I believe I did address your point when I stated that the election of pro-life candidates is a more reliable indicator than polls.
Demographics are a major issue. An overall majority opinion does not translate into an equal percentage of pro-life candidates elected to office, as many in the overall majority may be heavily clustered in certain Congressional districts and states. Ballot initiatives often take a few rounds before people become conversant with the implications behind passage.
The ultimate meaningful statistic is the reduction in abortions. Then we know that respect for life is gaining ground at the grassroots level.
Ashley,
A while back, you decided you would consider yourself “compassionately pro-life.” Now you are referring to pro-lifers as “you” instead of “we.” What happened? No change of heart in the end?
Scott, I noticed the same thing. Ashley a long while back had been making some rather reasonable comments. Then there was some kind of angry change, all kinds of swearing, and now it’s ‘you.’ I think a lot of pro-choice people must be wrestling with their opinions vs. the biological facts.
The best way for us to continue pushing against abortion is through scientific fact.
Fact: humans do not lay eggs or emerge from spores. Humans procreate by bearing live young, like other mammals. If a species kills it’s young at or before birth, that is a pretty clear indication that there is a deadly social disease present. And the only cure is truth.
Yes, I’m sure no documentary film-maker ever slanted information presented to promote their personal ideologies. Nope, no way.
The CPC thing Ashley mentioned is absurd. Frankly, if a CPC is doing those things, then in my opinion, that IS deceptive and should be stopped. However, I ran a CPC, and I know many people who work for and volunteer at CPCs. I’ve never even heard of such a thing- telling someone their boyfriend wouldn’t abuse them (instead of getting them domestic violence help) or detaining someone to try and change their minds. I really haven’t. It’s insane.
What’s also insane is that PPs *across the country* (that’s not just one from a documentary) have been exposed for giving out false medical information, not reporting statutory rape, and many, many other offenses which amount to breaking state law.
BTW, I’m not “anti-choice.” I’m anti-abortion. I am for women making all the choices they want as long as they don’t kill other human beings in the process.