Why are political scientists increasingly skeptical of polls?
Political and other social scientists are not skeptical of the polls themselves (I am a social scientist, BTW, though in sociology). That’s assuming the poll is done properly. Not all are–and anyone with any sense checks the methodology of any poll. Here’s the problem. The concepts )of liberal or conservative) are not absolutes. Over time, they change. At some periods such concepts are stable–in which case pretty much everyone agrees on the definition and so when people answer the question you’ll get a reliable answer. At other times, such concepts are redefined by the culture. When that is happening, not everyone uses the same definition, so you’ll get answers that aren’t consistent. That’s what is happening now. What the terms used to mean is breaking down, and “liberal” or “conservative” means different things to different people. For example, my mother regards herself as a conservative–but is viewed as a liberal by members of the “conservative Christian” core of Republicans. Poi
