On Monday, President Trump tweeted about a new survey finding released earlier that day. He said that a poll found that “50% of Americans AGREE that Robert Mueller’s investigation is a Witch Hunt [sic].” That claim is in line with the USA Today story. But a close look at the survey and other recent polling suggests it may overstate the public’s skepticism of the Mueller probe.
Here’s how the question was asked: “President Trump has called the Special Counsel’s investigation a ‘witch hunt’ and said he’s been subjected to more investigations than previous presidents because of politics. Do you agree?”
There are a lot of ways to ask a question like this and it’s useful to measure whether Americans share Trump’s skepticism of the Mueller investigation. But this question and its interpretation skirt a couple of best practices of opinion poll question wording, as highlighted by Monmouth University Polling Institute director Patrick Murray in several tweets. CONT.
Emily Guskin & Scott Clement, Washington Post
Recent polls: The Mueller investigation