Source: Washington Blade 

Polling experts are questioning a recent Human Rights Campaign survey that asked gays about the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

The survey’s results, circulated last month by HRC when many gays were locked in heated debate over the measure’s lack of transgender protections, show most people who responded support the bill as written.

But John Stahura, who specializes in survey research and directs the Purdue University Social Research Institute, said the survey’s methodology is problematic.

“They’re playing games,” he said after reviewing survey excerpts at the Blade’s request. “It doesn’t make sense.”

Conducted for HRC by Knowledge Networks, the survey shows most respondents believe national gay groups should support ENDA despite its lack of protections for transgender workers “because it helps gay, lesbian and bisexual workers and is a step toward transgender employment rights.”

According to survey excerpts, about 68 percent of respondents chose that scripted statement among three offered lines to best represent their “point of view.”

Another 16 percent of respondents indicated national gay groups should oppose ENDA “because it excludes transgender people,” and 13 percent wanted groups to take a neutral stance “because while it helps gay, lesbian and bisexual workers, it also excludes transgender people.”

About 3 percent of respondents refused to answer the question. The survey offered no margin of error.

Stahura said he “never would” structure a survey to include such explanatory clauses “because what you’re asking people to evaluate is the because.”

“I don’t know why they didn’t go with a straightforward, ‘Here’s the act. Should we support it, should we oppose it, or should we take a neutral stance?’” he said.

Brad Luna, the HRC communications director, said each scripted statement included explanatory clauses to focus respondents on the measure’s omission of transgender protections.

“With complicated proposals such as this, if you don’t link opposition to a reason, you might get people opposing for a variety of reasons,” he said. “We chose this method because we wanted to know specifically if people supported or opposed ENDA because of the transgender exclusion.”

Christopher Barron, a Washington political consultant Log Cabin’s former political director, who is gay and does survey interpretation, said the methodology, which he described as “bizarre,” might not allow the results to be projected nationally.

“It may be that it’s completely and totally sound,” he said. “But there’s nothing there that tells us that it is, so you can’t assume it’s a nationally representative sample.”

Luna told the Blade this week that the survey is nationally representative.

Full article: Washington Blade Online