General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Obama vs. Sanders... [View all]lapucelle
(18,275 posts)When you look at the data from the two questions on both surveys, respondents were presented with a binary choice and they expressed their preference regarding that binary choice.
It is interesting that the one-on-one comparison question is absent from the July 8 poll (for which there are 28 unreported questions), but not from the July 25 poll, which has 27 unreported questions. Only the pollsters know why they omitted certain questions from their results, but a common reason for such omissions is insufficient response.
At any rate, making the inference that the July 8 poll somehow refutes the finding of the July 25 poll can be (at most) generously called highly dubious. To begin with, the scope of the questions in the first poll is not as definite as those in the second poll, and the binary choices are different in the each. What we know with certainty is that Obama-like is explicitly preferred over Sanders-like.
Secondly, the July 25 poll is fresher (and arguably more complete) data, so even if your conclusion were remotely logical, it is refuted by newer data.
And finally, something may have happened in the weeks between July 8 and July 25 that caused respondents to reassess the preferability of Sanders-like candidates. Was there any campaigning going on this month?
Data analysis is complex and best left to experts.