Poll Trolls

A couple of weeks ago there was some controversy about a Wilson Research poll which tested 1000 McCain and Obama supporters on some basic campaign facts. The poll was originally conducted only on Obama supporters. Since the results showed a poor knowledge of campaign trivia, the supposition was made that Obama supporters were ignorant. However, Wilson repeated the poll on both Obama and McCain supporters and the results were identical.

As it turns out, both McCain supporters and Obama supporters had trouble on certain questions. Based on the full poll data and cross tabs, here is my analysis of the poll:

What McCain supporters knew that Obama supporters did not

• 64% of Republicans knew that the Democrats already controlled the Senate before the election.
  
  Only 38% of Democrats knew that.
  
  
• 50% of McCain supporters knew that Barack Obama had said his policies would bankrupt coal companies and make energy prices skyrocket.
  
  Only 14% of Obama supporters knew that. 24% of them though McCain had said it.
  
  
• 48% of McCain supporters knew that Barack Obama had claimed to have campaigned in 57 states.
  
  Only 24% of Obama supporters knew that.

What Obama supporters knew that McCain supporters did not

• 
  

What both Obama supporters and McCain supporters knew

• McCain could not remember how many houses he owned (about three-quarters of McCain and Obama supporters knew this)
  
  
• The Republicans spent $150,000 on Sarah Palin's clothing (about 80% of McCain and Obama supporters knew this)
  
  
• Sarah Palin has a pregnant teenage daughter (95% of McCain and Obama supporters knew this)
  
  
• Joe Biden said that Barack Obama would be seriously tested in his first six months in office (just over half of McCain and Obama supporters knew this)
  
  
• Barack Obama said the government should redistribute wealth (about 80% of McCain and Obama supporters knew this)
  
  
• Barack Obama reportedly started his political career at Bill Ayers' house (86% of McCain supporters and 68% of Obama supporters knew this)
  
  
• John McCain was involved in a 1980's savings and loans scandal (about half of McCain and Obama supporters knew this)
  

What neither Obama supporters nor McCain supporters knew

• Sarah Palin did not actually say that she could see Russia from her house (about three-quarters of McCain and Obama supporters believed she had said so)
  
  
• Joe Biden was forced to drop out of a 1980 campaign because he was found to have plagiarized a speech (only about one-third of McCain and Obama supporters knew this)
  
  
• Barack Obama won his first election by getting all of his oponents kicked off the ballot (only 29% of McCain supporters and 13% of Obama supporters knew this)