Refer to the previous exercise. When the Roper Organization conducted another survey in March of 1994, they asked, “Does it seem possible to you that the Nazi extermination of the Jews never happened, or do you feel certain that it happened?” Do you think the wording of this question is clearer than the November 1992 version? Explain why or why not.

Data from previous exercise

In a November 1992 survey, the Roper Organization asked American adults, “Does it seem possible or does it seem impossible to you that the Nazi extermination of the Jews never happened?” The results were very surprising and widely discussed. Of the 992 adults surveyed, 22% responded that it’s possible that this never happened, and 12% responded that they did not know. Therefore, only 66% of the respondents expressed certainty that the Holocaust did happen. What is wrong with the wording of this question that produced such surprising (and it was later shown) erroneous responses?