1 focus groups: myth or reality? stephen mills (umr research)
TRANSCRIPT
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Focus Groups: Myth or Reality?Stephen Mills (UMR Research)
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The result is a debasement of politics to the point where our politicians seem to lack all conviction, save for their unshakable faith in the polls, in the necessity of manufacturing innocuous sound-bites for media appearances, and in the assumption that there is no reality that can’t be represented in survey data. Even compared with their predecessors of a decade ago (who, for instance, kept immigration high in times of economic boom, regardless of what the polls told them), contemporary Australian politicians are incapable of shaping a conversation about “what is to be done?” They seem to have given up on the main function of leadership and instead taken to mumbling all the platitudes their focus groups deem most innocuous.
Bryan Cooke, Crikey 12/5/11
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It is now all but universally agreed that the Australian Labor party is a near-ruin, ruled body and soul by factional bosses and opinion pollsters.
Don Watson, The Monthly, August 2011
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Focus groups be damned. They might be useful if you are designing a cereal packet. As a tool for charting the nation’s future they are a reckless abandonment of responsible political leadership. Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard sounded almost identical in the campaign because focus groups were telling them what to say. Unsurprisingly both leaders got the same message, regurgitating the same meaningless pap that the marketing soothsayers threw up from their bogan séances.
Mike Carlton, Sydney Morning Herald 28/5/10
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Charges against focus groups
o Death of leadership
o Increasing leadership churn
o Adoption of populist policies
o Killing off necessary reforms
o Pandering to prejudice
o Increasing cynicism
o Lowering the tone of politics
o Mindless repetition of slogans, catch phrases
o Debasing role of parties
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A modern morality tale
o Addiction
o Degradation
o Timidity
o Lack of principle
o Corruption
o Abdication of leadership
o Imprisonment
o Purity
o High minded/Patriotic
o Courage
o Principle
o Selflessness
o Leadership
o Freedom
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Pollster, here’s a revolver and a bottle of vodka, you know the rest.
Denis Glover, The Australian 12/10/10
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But even worse …Focus groups nearly cost an election
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The link [sic] why the [Labor] Government found itself in trouble was the dreaded focus group debacle.
Rod Cameron, ABC Lateline 8/9/10
[Listening to focus groups on climate change] ..destroyed the Rudd prime ministership and brought Labor to the threshold of destruction.
Peter Hartcher, Sydney Morning Herald 2/10/10
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Case for the defenceo Lightning rod for broader dissatisfaction with modern
politics
o Other factors (electoral systems, powerful sectional interests) much greater influence on nature political process
o Focus groups only one part of political armoury
o Focus groups no more than a neutral tool
o Are used to bring voice of non-elites, disengaged into political decision-making (better than alternatives)
o Powerful means of understanding voter understandings and perceptions and informing communications strategies
o Cost efficient testing of advertising
o Criticism groups often proxy for factional conflict
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Stress on democracyo Inability to tackle big issues and stay in power (or
keep leadership)
o Climate change
o Irrigation
o Tradeoffs delivery of infrastructure and services vs. income maintenance
o Tax reform
o Baby boomer pension costs
o Rationing of health care
o Accelerating media intensity
o Increasingly negative, vicious, hyperbolic tone
o Reality show expectations of politicians
o Increasing lack of trust in Government, politicians, other institutions
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Responsibility of political technologyo Taught politicians how to play the game of politics
too well
o Reduced risks too much
o Part of increasing cycle of cynicism
o Can be used to destroy necessary initiatives
o Can only get worse; technology arms race
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The end.
Thank-you.