What Do I Know?

By John Benson

Do you have an opinion, A mind of your own?

-Garbage, "(I Thought You Were) Special"

Well, yes and no.

Recently I responded to a poll in which the interviewer squeezed me so hard for an opinion that my mental pips squeaked. I wanted to scream, "Hey, there are some things I just haven't figured out," but I'm way too polite. Besides, I make a living off the answers other people give to survey questions, so I didn't want to be a hypocrite.

Frankly, as someone who designs and analyzes public opinion surveys, I'm often paralyzed by polling questions other pollsters ask me. I can't help worrying how people will interpret my favor or oppose, or what dire electoral or public policy consequences I might unintentionally help provoke. So I trim whenever the interviewer will let me get away with it.

But enough about me; let's talk about you for a minute. What's your opinion about "don't know" as a response? In particular, what are your thoughts about explicitly including "don't know [enough about that to have an opinion]" in questions about public policy?

Proponents of an explicit "don't know" argue that many people simply do not have opinions about any number of policy issues. They may never have thought about the issue, may never even have heard about it before the interviewer broached the subject. They may have some vague feeling about the issue but can be easily swayed by the way the question is worded.

Proponents also point out that people forced to express an opinion without enough information tend to be the ones who change their minds once a policy is debated or as an election campaign gets under way, so pushing them early on decreases the predictive value of polls.

Or sometimes people are genuinely undecided.

Opponents of an explicit "don't know"-and at the extreme, those who want their interviewers to push hard for an opinion-argue that most people really do have an opinion, and that it is important to encourage them to express it. They say that even if individuals do not have detailed knowledge of a policy issue, they can relate it to their own underlying values and come up with an opinion consistent with what they believe. And if you are going to vote, you have to make a choice at some point. Moreover, opponents argue that an explicit "don't know" cues people not accustomed to having their opinion valued to opt out, thereby creating bias in a survey's results.

Besides, do you think a TV news program wants to lead with, "Sixty-three percent of Americans don't have a clue: Film at eleven"?

But maybe when it comes to "don't know," there are different horses for different courses, times when "don't know" should be explicit, and other times when it should only be accepted if volunteered.

So let's hear some debate pro and con. Or present some suggestions about when it is good to press and when it isn't. Or map out ways to mitigate the disadvantages of the approach you prefer.

Express yourself. if you want to. Just don't expect me to decide.

John Benson is managing director of the Harvard Opinion Research Program, Harvard School of Public Health, and associate editor of Public Opinion Pros.

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