Weeks of one-sided stories pushed by professional agitators like Al Sharpton have had an effect on public opinion. Last weekend, (3/25-3/26) CNN conducted apoll which showed 73% of adults believed Trayvon Martin’s shooter GeorgeZimmerman should be arrested. Now a new poll by WPA opinion dynamics findsthat number has dropped sharply in just the last few days:
Our poll conducted Tuesday and Wednesday revealed that just 48%of Americans believe he should be arrested. Our poll matched the partisandistribution of the CNN poll, so this is a real and significant change inopinion as more key details came out over a few brief days.
In addition to matching the partisan distribution, the WPA poll used thesame language CNN had used previously:
Based on what you have read or heard about this incident, do youthink the police should or should not arrest George Zimmerman for shootingTrayvon Martin?
- Should 48%
- Should Not 16%
- Unsure 36%
What this shows is the effect of telling Zimmerman’s side of the story. Asnumerous stories have revealed information that supports parts ofZimmerman’s account this week, we see a 25% drop in those thinking Zimmermanshould be arrested.Note that most of those people have moved into the “Unsure” column ratherthan the “Should Not” column. This makes sense since new information makesthe situation less clear. Two witnesses back up Zimmerman’s claim that hewas on the ground yelling for help before the gunshot, but that does notprove Zimmerman acted in self-defense.What this poll really reveals is the power the media has to slant a story insuch a way that a solid majority feels confident about the facts when, givenless biased information, they would choose to wait and see.
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