Loaded, leading surveys

The Social Weather Stations (SWS) recently came out with a classic example of a leading survey, which showed that 81 percent of respondents had indicated it was not right “to leave China alone with its infrastructures and military presence in the claimed territories.”

The survey came out days after the China province tarpaulins had sprouted all over Metro Manila and the anniversary of the arbitral decision invalidating China’s nine-dash line claim on the West Philippine Sea.

The survey question was already loaded since it was structured in the negative, implying that the government is not taking any action in the maritime conflict.

Notable in the survey, however, was the “introduction,” which prepared respondents to have an adverse view on China.

Portions of the SWS prologue stated: “The West Philippine Sea is in the Western part of the Philippines. The West Philippine Sea includes the Luzon Sea, as well as waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) in Palawan, and Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, in Zambales.

“However, these are being aggressively claimed by China because, according to them, they own all the waters, features, rocks and natural resources within the 9-dash-line that encompasses almost the entire South China Sea, including the Philippine waters in the West Philippine Sea.”

Worse, the SWS concluded: “Despite the numerous efforts of the Philippines to resolve this issue, China continues to aggressively claim and illegally intrude into the islands in the West Philippine Sea. China’s aggressive actions include the harassment of Filipino fishermen and traders and preventing them from benefitting from their own marine resources, constructing infrastructures in some islands, and maintaining a presence of their ships in the waters of the West Philippine Sea.”

What it amounted to was inflaming the emotions of the respondents against China before being asked the loaded questions, with which, by any stretch in logic, any Filipino citizen is not expected to agree.

SWS surveys have been suspected in the past of being used as part of politically-motivated campaigns such as in the yellow anti-drugs war effort.

In two successive days last year, on 31 October and 1 November, SWS released a series on the war on drugs, which the pollster said were “not commissioned,” meaning it conducted the survey voluntarily.

The 31 October survey asked if “it is right for policemen to be given cash rewards for every person they kill who are allegedly using illegal drugs or involved in the illegal drug trade,” which is similar to the loaded question in the China survey.

The survey naturally gave a result of a majority, 65 percent, disagreeing, while 15 percent agreed.

The survey then associated the results, putting it in contrast to respondents’ support to Rody.

In the China survey, it was also the administration of Rody that was the clear target since it assumed that it was doing nothing amid the sea buildup.

China’s aggressive maritime moves, however, were induced by the belligerent acts of the previous administration of President Noynoy Aquino acting in tandem with former US President Barack Obama, who had assumed an Asian pivot policy.

The survey also referenced Rody’s oft-repeated claim that the use of drugs shrinks the brain of a person whose mental capacity becomes oriented towards crime primarily to support addiction.

It came up with results of 51 percent disagreeing, 28 percent agreeing and 20 percent undecided on the statement that “persons who use drugs or are involved in the illegal drug trade do not have the capacity to change anymore.”

In the other survey held 1 November, SWS suggested, “It cannot be avoided that there are innocent citizens who will die in order to completely eradicate the illegal drug problem in the country.”

It received a response from respondents of 46 percent agreement and 35 percent disagreement.

SWS, which always associates its 1,200 respondents to the Filipino nation, has to do better to convince the public about the credibility of its polls.