Sketchy Poll Claims Most Wyomingites Want Medicaid Expansion

There are a lot of problems with polls, which is why most of them should not be trusted or believed. First and foremost in deciding if a poll is accurate is to take a look at who is conducting the polling. Then we should look at who they polled and how the questions are asked.

In a poll conducted in Sept. by New Bridge Strategy, 66% of registered voters in Wyoming either somewhat support or strongly support the legislature voting to expand Medicaid coverage to more citizens.

Isn't it interesting that this poll came out a day before a bill to expand Medicaid in Wyoming was filed in the special session? It should make anyone wonder if someone it trying to influence the voters as well as our legislators.

Before we look at the questions they asked let's look at who is doing the polling. New Bridge Strategy is a company out of Colorado. Their mission statement is on their website.

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"New Bridge Strategy was founded in the belief that the divisions we see are not insurmountable chasms, but opportunities for connection.  We listen to people through a wide range of opinion research tools on behalf of public policy efforts and campaigns.  Our roots are in Republican politics, having conducted research on behalf of dozens of GOP candidates from City Council to the presidential level."

So we can see that they are NOT a non-bias organization. By the second part of the mission statement, they work in "crafting winning ballot measures campaigns."

"We frequently work as members of bipartisan teams and assist coalitions from across the political spectrum in crafting winning ballot measure campaigns, public education initiatives, and legislative policy efforts.  We help our clients bridge divides to create winning majorities."

So if they are conducting a poll, are they doing it to find out what people really think, or are they doing it to convince the public and a majority of the people think this way and, therefore, so should you?

The fact of the matter is, most polls are as bias as the people conducting them.

In the audio, below, a Wyoming doctor explains why Medicaid expansion would be a disaster for the state, as it has been for the other states that have gone through with it.

Before any reporter or news organization publishes a poll they should have a close look at possible bias, conflicts of interest, and common mistakes made in polling.