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Poll: Americans say U.S. best in the world on freedom, life quality, opportunity

TU Curmudgeon

B.A. (Sarc), LLb. (Lex Sarcasus), PhD (Sarc.)
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From United Press International

Poll: Americans say U.S. best in the world on freedom, life quality, opportunity
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Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Americans' view of life in the United States -- compared to other modern, industrialized nations -- is quite a mixed bag, a new Gallup poll showed Wednesday.

The survey showed on average, Americans are most positive about individual freedoms -- and most negative about healthcare.

Respondents were asked how the United States compares to other nations on six issues -- individual freedom, quality of life, opportunity, economy, government and healthcare.

Sixty-four percent said the United States is above average when it comes to individual freedoms. More than 50 percent said it's also better for quality of life and opportunity.

COMMENT:-

Can anyone see the issues with the question "Next, we'd like you to think about how the United States compares with all other modern, industrialized nations in the world in several areas. For each of the following, please say if conditions in the United States are the best, above average, average, below average or the worst, relative to all other modern industrialized countries."?
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How about starting with:
  • "What does the respondent define as a "modern industrialized country"?";
  • "What does the respondent actually know about the countries that they define as being a "modern industrialized country"?";
  • "Is what the respondent knows about those countries actually correct?";
  • "What does the respondent actually know about the United States of America?";
  • "Is what the respondent knows about the United States of America actually correct?"; and
  • "Can there be a difference between believing something and that thing actually being true, or does something become true simply because a majority of people believe it?".

PS - Regardless of the potential inadequacies of the survey question, the fact remains that the US is well inside my "Top 10 Countries" for places to live if I didn't live in the country I do live in (which, in my opinion is the world's best for freedom, life quality, and opportunity [however I don't take the position of "I believe it so it is true."] even though the differences between my "Top 11 Countries" might be minimal).

PPS - For the rabid Jingoists - You might want to think about the fact that a preference for chocolate ice cream over vanilla ice cream is NOT the same thing as !!!!**H*A*T*I*N*G**!!!! vanilla ice cream. (Feel free to ask an adult to explain what an allegorical comparison is to you.)
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america is by far the best country in the world. just stinks that we are surrounded by socialists to the north and cartels to the south.
 
I mean that's the least shocking poll ever. If I polled everyone in England the results would probably be the same, that's the thing with nationalism lol.
 
biglawnmower said:
america is by far the best country in the world. just stinks that we are surrounded by socialists to the north and cartels to the south.
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It appears that the answers to my questions would be:

  1. What does the respondent define as a "modern industrialized country"?"; - UNKNOWN
  2. "What does the respondent actually know about the countries that they define as being a "modern industrialized country"?"; - NOT MUCH
  3. "Is what the respondent knows about those countries actually correct?"; - PROBABLY NOT
  4. "What does the respondent actually know about the United States of America?"; - NOT AS MUCH AS THEY THINK THEY DO
  5. "Is what the respondent knows about the United States of America actually correct?"; - PROBABLY NOT and
  6. "Can there be a difference between believing something and that thing actually being true, or does something become true simply because a majority of people believe it?". - THERE SHOULD BE, BUT OFTEN TIMES ISN'T
 

so you just want answers that tell you what you want to hear
 

Polls have nothing to do with facts. They measure opinion. What you want is a full-blown academic study.
 
I bet if most Americans lived in Nordic countries for a couple years they'd change their mind and be pretty pissed off as well.
 
biglawnmower said:
so you just want answers that tell you what you want to hear
Click to expand...

You might actually want to try "reading for content" once in a while.

My questions related directly to the conduct of the poll and not to the analysis of the data once received.
 
Mycroft said:
Polls have nothing to do with facts.
Click to expand...

Generally true.

Mycroft said:
They measure opinion.
Click to expand...

Again generally true.

My questions were as to the conduct/methodology of the poll and whether or not the "opinion" is an "informed opinion" or not - nothing else.

Mycroft said:
What you want is a full-blown academic study.
Click to expand...

Yep, and there are lots of them out there - all of which use objective data and do NOT place the United States of America as the world's most free country and/or the country with the world's highest quality of living.
 
Mycroft said:
Polls have nothing to do with facts. They measure opinion. What you want is a full-blown academic study.
Click to expand...

Which on subjects like "freedom" unavoidably devolve into opinion pieces themselves.
 
jmotivator said:
Which on subjects like "freedom" unavoidably devolve into opinion pieces themselves.
Click to expand...

Quite right.

I have no difficulty with

"Americans, when asked, most agreed that they thought that - in their opinion - the US was the best place in the world to live, but there are many other countries where, when asked, the people who lived there thought that - in their opinion - their country was the best place in the world to live."
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which completely accords with the survey results.
 
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