Quinnipiac Issues Poll Question On Iran Deal That Provides No Context

Quinnipiac Polls Swing State Voters On Iran Deal. In a Quinnipiac poll conducted from August 7-18, voters in Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania were asked, “Do you support or oppose the nuclear deal with Iran”:

[Quinnipiac University Poll,  8/24/15]

Media Cites Quinnipiac Poll To Claim Voters In Swing States “Overwhelmingly Oppose” Iran Deal

Politico: “Swing-State Voters Reject Iran Deal.” Politico cited the Quinnipiac poll to report that “wide majorities” of voters in Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania “rejected” the nuclear deal with Iran:

Wide majorities in three key swing states oppose the Iran nuclear deal, according to the results of the latest Quinnipiac University poll released Monday.

In Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, voters rejected the deal announced between Iran and six world powers last month and also said the agreement would make the world less safe, not safer.

Florida voters opposed the nuclear deal 61 percent to 25 percent, while 61 percent to 27 percent said it would make the world less safe. In Ohio, 58 percent opposed the deal, compared with 24 percent who support it. Additionally, 56 percent to 26 percent think the deal would lead to a less safe world.

Among Pennsylvania voters, 61 percent opposed the agreement, while 26 percent supported it, while 60 percent to 27 percent said the agreement would make the world less safe. [Politico, 8/24/15]

Tampa Bay Times: “Most Florida Voters Oppose Iran Deal.” In an August 24 article, The Tampa Bay Times cited the Quinnipiac poll to claim that the nuclear deal with Iran “remains unpopular in Florida,” and “most Florida voters oppose the Iran deal.” [Tampa Bay Times, 8/24/15]

Newsmax: Swing State Voters “Overwhelmingly Oppose” Iran Deal. Newsmax cited the Quinnipiac poll to argue that swing state voters in Florida, Ohio, and Pennsylvania “overwhelmingly oppose” Obama's nuclear deal by a 2-1 margin":

According to a Quinnipiac poll conducted Aug. 7-18 of over 1,000 voters in each state, more than 2-1 are against the proposed pact:

• In Florida, voters oppose the nuclear pact with Iran at 61-25 percent and say 61-27 percent the deal would make the world less safe rather than safer.

• In Ohio, voters oppose the nuclear pact 58-24 percent and say 56-26 percent the deal would make the world less safe rather than safer.

• In Pennsylvania, voters oppose the accord 61-26 percent and say 60-27 percent the deal would make the world less safe. [Newsmax, 8/24/15]

The Columbus Dispatch: “Ohioans Strongly Oppose Iran Nuclear Deal.” The Columbus Dispatch cited the Quinnipiac poll to state that “Ohioans strongly oppose” the Iran deal. [The Columbus Dispatch, 8/24/15]

But When Question Contained More Context, Poll Showed Majority Support The Iran Deal

When The Poll Question Provided Details Of The Agreement, Majority Of People Supported It. A previous Quinnipiac poll in the same swing states four months earlier provided contextabout the Iran agreement, asking if respondents “would support a deal with Iran that lifts some sanctions while making it more difficult for Iran to produce nuclear weapons.” The results of this poll showed a majority of voters in the three states would support an agreement with Iran:

[Quinnipiac University Poll, 4/1/15]

A CNN Poll That Asked Iran Question Two Ways Showed That With More Context, There's More Support For Deal

When CNN Asked Respondents About The Iran Deal, Question With More Context Showed More Support For Deal. CNN asked half of the respondents to its poll a question that detailed the “major restrictions on its nuclear program” and “greater international inspection of its nuclear facilities” to which Iran submitted as part of the deal. The other respondents were asked a question that provided no details about the deal but simply asked whether Congress should approve or reject it. CNN's poll found that 50 percent of respondents supported the deal when its details were provided, but only 41 percent supported the deal when no details were given.  [CNN/ORC International poll, 8/20/15]