On voting for action on fictional places

[andrewducker]

30% of Republicans are in favour of bombing Agrabah, the city from Aladdin.

44% of Democrats are in favour of accepting refugees from there.

Which, I think, largely tells us that most people answering polls do not expect polls to fuck them around, and that if they are thinking "Hang on, is that really the name of the place that I saw on the news last night?" are likely to assume that they have made a mistake, rather than the poll-makers having got things wrong, either deliberately or accidentally. Which, largely, doesn't seem like a bad bet to make while you're in mid-conversation with them.

Comments

[gominokouhai]

It's not really a problem with polls, though---although of course the polls don't help. Answers to your sample question should (probably) include:

1. Fuck off, that's where Dr Doom comes from
2. I understand that you're asking about a fictional universe, so I shall answer in context
3. Yes (which the pollster marks down as: "I like to answer poll questions! yay! My opinion is baseless!)
4. No (which the pollster marks down as: "I like to answer poll questions! yay! My opinion is baseless!)
5. I have insufficient knowledge to form an opinion on this question

The problem is human nature. Almost nobody will answer with response #(5). And the pollster doesn't care because his job is to get lots of responses.