Industry News

SELECTED ITEMS OF INTEREST TO THE MEDIA COMMUNITY

Does “Woke” Have Relevance as a Polling Question?

March 15, 2023

Pollsters frequently ask respondents about "woke," but experts say differing understandings of the meaning of the concept mean answers may be of limited -- or no -- value. A roundup of pollsters and analysts in Politifact finds them returning to one fundamental question: If there's no shared understanding of what a word means, can you still test it? Experts quoted in the story also say:

• The term "woke" is widely believed to have originated decades ago in Black communities to mean be wary of racism and in recent years has been closely associated with the Black Lives Matter movement. It has also become a conservative buzzword for condemning liberal politics. 
• "Woke" is often applied today to LGBTQ and feminist issues in addition to racial justice concerns.
• Polling questions about "woke" are really only measuring support for a progressive versus a conservative worldview, not for particular policies. 

Read the Politifact story here. 
#media #strategy #consulting