Re: DS/SVP/PS Poll Results (posted for H. Lescinsky)

[N.MacLeod@xxxxxxxxx (N. MacLeod)]

Date: Tue, 23 Jan 1996 12:27:14 -0800 (PST)
From: "Elizabeth C.Marr" <cheney@itsa.ucsf.EDU>
To: paleonet-owner@nhm.ac.uk
Subject: Re: DS/SVP/PS Poll Results
MIME-Version: 1.0
Status: O

Although the results of the poll are interesting, I wonder what they
actually tell us about the beliefs of the people.  As has been previously
said, so much is in the phrasing of the question.

Take for example Q1 and Q5, they ask essentially the same question:  Is
the fossil yours since you found it on your land?  but the responses are
either 46% (phrased as in Q1) or 63% (as in Q5).  Another example is
whether laws should prohibit one from selling such fossils.  58% say
sales (Q7) should be allowed, but in Q3 (general) only 46% think they should.

I think results would also shift dramatically with a very short
educational introduction about abundance of fossils, their natural
weathering and perhaps analogies with other mineral resources such as
mining coal or gem stones on public land.

To be just a bit cynical, I think what the poll
primarily shows is people's Knee-jerk decisions when harassed in the
middle of dinner by some paleo-paid telemarketer, not the wishes of
thoughtful Americans

Hal Lescinsky