2007 Zogby Poll
This slide was added in the January 2008 slideshow.More Fun With Poll Numbers
In this slide, Gage introduces the August and September 2007 Zogby International study of 9/11 conspiracy theory beliefs. It was commissioned by a 9/11 conspiracy theory organization, 911truth.org.
The results of the poll were published in this article. Gage actually uses headlines from this article to great effect:
Zogby Poll: 51% of Americans Want Congress to Probe Bush/Cheney Regarding 9/11 Attacks; Over 30% Seek Immediate Impeachment
67% also fault 9/11 Commission for not investigating anomalous collapse of World Trade Center 7
Looks like the war wasn't going very well, was it?
However, a look at the actual questions and the breakdown of the answers (pdf) is quite enlightening.
Probing Bush/Cheney
The first question in the Zogby headlines reads:
In October 2006, a New York Times/CBS poll found that only 16% of Americans believe they have been told the whole truth about this administration's foreknowledge of the September 11 attacks. Based upon your knowledge of 9/11 events, do you agree or disagree that the Congress should investigate the executive branch's conduct prior to, during and following the September 11 attacks?
Actually it surprises me a little that only 51% of Americans said yes to this question. People want answers to the mistakes that let 9/11 happen, and they want to be sure that the mistakes don't happen again.
It's the mention of "foreknowledge" which I suspect caused a lower number than I would have suspect. That puts the investigation by Congress into the same light as commissions like the Whitewater investigation. 46% say that no investigation by Congress should happen, leaving a meager 3% undecided. It's definitely a polarizing question, and a look at the ideological breakdown of the poll shows that the polarization happened along the left-right political spectrum.
Immediate Impeachment
The second question reads:
Some groups on both the right and left are now petitioning Congress to impeach the President and/or the Vice President. Based on your own knowledge of George Bush's and Dick Cheney's conduct regarding war policy, detainee treatment, domestic surveillance, the 9/11 attacks and Congressional investigations, which one of the following comes closest to your opinion?
The answers to this question bear out the statement that groups on the right and left are supporting impeachment. The numbers definitely slope down as you go right in the political spectrum, but Libertarians boost the numbers calling for impeachment sharply.
I would note that this question isn't directly related to the 9/11 attacks at all. It's one issue of the five listed that could have garnered an impeachment response or not. This question then is an expression of the general anger building in the American public toward the Bush Administration on a variety of issues.
7 World Trade
The third question reads:
World Trade Center Building 7 was the 47-story skyscraper a block away from the Twin Towers that housed the mayor's emergency management center and offices of the SEC, Secret Service and CIA. It was not hit by any airplanes during the September 11th attacks, but still collapsed nearly eight hours later that day. FEMA did not explain this collapse, the 911 Commission ignored it, and the promised official study is now 2 years overdue. Do you think that the 911 Commission was right to concentrate their investigation on the collapse of buildings which were directly hit by airplanes or should they have also investigated the collapse of Building 7?
The amount of prejudicial information in this question is astonishing.
For one thing, the 9/11 Commission did not "concentrate their investigation on the collapses" of the Twin Towers. Their collapses were only dealt with in a single chapter. Of far greater interest to the Commission was why America didn't prevent the attacks, how they were pulled off, and the proper response to the newly underlined threat of international terrorism.
And a lot of counter information is left out of this question. The North Tower was one of the tallest buildings on earth, and plenty of debris from its collapse can be seen hitting 7. The massive fires in the building are not mentioned, and neither is its unusual structure. FEMA didn't have the resources to explain that collapse, the 9/11 Commission was focused on a different objective entirely, and the sheer scope of what NIST is doing in that promised report is why it has been delayed.
This is a textbook case of a leading survey question that's designed to get a specific answer. Zogby letting this question be used is a blot on their reputation.
Two Questions Gage Doesn't Refer To
There is a fourth and fifth question in this list that Gage doesn't bother to share with the class. I wonder why? Here's one:
405. Some people say that so many unanswered questions about 9/11 remain that the nation needs a new independent investigation of the attacks, including whether any US government officials consciously allowed or helped facilitate their success. Other people say the 9/11 attacks were thoroughly investigated and that any speculation about US government involvement is absurd. Who are you more likely to agree with?
37% of those surveyed said that there should be a new investigation. 57% said that the attacks had been thoroughly investigated already. 6% were unsure. So from the Truth Movement's own biased survey, it's clear that a strong majority of Americans don't think the attacks need any further investigation.
That 37% sounds a lot like the 36% from the Scripps-Howard poll, and indeed the Zogby poll's other question bears this out:
402. There are three main schools of thought regarding the 9/11 attacks. The first theory is the official story, and maintains that 19 Arab fundamentalists executed a surprise attack which caught US intelligence and military forces off guard. The second theory known as Let It Happen argues that certain elements in the US government knew the attacks were coming but consciously let them proceed for various political, military and economic motives; and the third theory Made It Happen contends that certain US government elements actively planned or assisted some aspects of the attacks. Based upon your knowledge of 9/11 events and their aftermath, which theory are you more likely to agree with?
As I said in the last slide, the 36% shows up again in this question. By allowing people to choose between the official story, LIHOP, MIHOP, and Not Sure, Zogby demonstrates that the numbers line up well with the Scripps Howard poll. 36.4% chose an option other than the official story.
Yet the breakdown of this 36.4% is very revealing. Only 4.6% were willing to stand by the MIHOP scenario. Another 5.3% were not sure and so represent crossover between all three of the other options. A whopping 26.5% went for the LIHOP scenario.
As I said in the last slide, what Gage is selling here is the MIHOP theory. Controlled demolition for him means that the government did it. Yet he quotes this poll and the Scripps-Howard poll in an effort to show how broad a support base his ideas have. In fact, both polls together demonstrate what a marginal position he occupies in this debate.
And even this clearly biased survey shows this! Gage would do well to stop referring to this kind of "support."
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