Polls and surveys have become part of the American fabric of life. We now have them for most everything. What we eat, what we wear, how we vote, how we pray, when we watch television, when we have sex. There's comfort in statistics. Sliced and diced into neat rows of numbers, they have the unmistakable allure of the queen of the sciences: mathematics.
Computers of course are essentially mathematical. It's the dazzling beauty of their billions of sequencing 0's and 1's which bring them to life. Endow them with their power. Permit them to store enormous bodies of data with which to process enormous numbers of questions. In just the last month, here are some of the results. Inviting the discerning to see if there is a pattern:
EDUCATION
59% of American high school students say they cheated on a test during the past year. 21% say they stole from a parent or relative. 80% say they lied about something significant to their parents. Still, 92% report they're satisfied with their personal ethics and character [ Josephson Institute of Ethics ]
RELIGION
70% of Americans say religion is losing its influence on national life. Still, 61% say they are a member of a church or synagogue [ Gallup ]
POLITICS
President Obama's latest job approval rating has reached 50%. Still, it remained in the mid-40s throughout much of 2010 [ Gallup ]
MEDIA
Opinions on the reliability of Fox News is now 46% agree and 42% disagree. Still the most trusted news source on television is PBS [ Public Policy Polling ]
As expected, none of the survey centers called me. Or offered to connect their dots to postulate a national pattern. It's entirely likely the only real pattern is there is no pattern. And while that cannot be said about our computers, it may be one of the few blessings we can still say about us.
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My 100% agrees with your 100%
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