--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Polling only works in a country without a…" description: "\"Polling only works in a country without a depressed, frightened populace. Where the public trusts authorities enough to tell them the truth without fea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbf/rick-perlstein-3637_authorities_polling-only-works-in-a-country-without_524941.png" --- # Polling only works in a country without a depressed… ![“Polling only works in a country without a depressed, frightened populace. Where the public trusts authorities enough to tell them the truth without fear of retribution.” quote by Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbf/rick-perlstein-3637_authorities_polling-only-works-in-a-country-without_524941.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbf/rick-perlstein-3637_authorities_polling-only-works-in-a-country-without_524941.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbf/rick-perlstein-3637_authorities_polling-only-works-in-a-country-without_524941.png) > “Polling only works in a country without a depressed, frightened populace. Where the public trusts authorities enough to tell them the truth without fear of retribution.” [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Public trust is essential for honest polling; fear suppresses truth. **In simple terms:** Trust enables truthful surveys. Key Takeaway Build trust to gather accurate public opinion. Themes trust public opinion political climate freedom of speech Mood critical concerned Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - election polling - social research - government transparency Key Concepts democracy media ethics civic engagement Questions to Reflect On - How can trust be restored? - What safeguards protect respondents? A Different Perspective In authoritarian settings, polling may be unreliable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Depressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressed/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Populace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/populace/) [Retribution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retribution/) [Trusts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trusts/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [“Populace above, populace below! What are "poor" and "rich"...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/populace-above-populace-below-what-are-poor-and-rich/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Truly, you understand the reverse art of alchemy, the depreciating of the most valuable things! Try, just for once, another recipe, in order not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/truly-you-understand-the-reverse-art-of-alchemy-the-depreciating-of/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The state is not an organism capable of bringing either moral or material improvements to the populace...but merely a vehicle of power for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/the-state-is-not-an-organism-capable-of-bringing-either-moral-or/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Anyone working in the media can tell you that there seems to be an always-ready-to-explode segment of the populace for whom offense is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/anyone-working-in-the-media-can-tell-you-that-there-seems-to-be-an/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [Nothing is more unreliable than the populace, nothing more obscure than human intentions, nothing more deceptive than the whole electoral system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/nothing-is-more-unreliable-than-the-populace-nothing-more-obscure/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [To this day, the only argument against Obama that critics can seem to come up with involves admitting he's better than them - though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ridley/to-this-day-the-only-argument-against-obama-that-critics-can-seem-to/) [John Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ridley/) > [We should speak as the populace but think as the learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-coke/we-should-speak-as-the-populace-but-think-as-the-learned/) [Edward Coke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-coke/) > [“A large populace held in check by a small but powerful force is quite a common situation in our universe. And we know the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/a-large-populace-held-in-check-by-a-small-but-powerful-force-is-quite/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Without an educated populace, democracy cannot sustain itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phylicia-rashad/without-an-educated-populace-democracy-cannot-sustain-itself/) [Phylicia Rashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phylicia-rashad/) > [“Of all individuals, the hated, the shunned, and the peculiar are arguably most themselves. They wear no masks whatsoever in order to be accepted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/of-all-individuals-the-hated-the-shunned-and-the-peculiar-are/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [A well-educated populace is the backbone of our middle-class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-pocan/a-well-educated-populace-is-the-backbone-of-our-middle-class/) [Mark Pocan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-pocan/) > [ “\[Rhodian delegation:\] Every city contains wicked citizens from time to time and an ignorant populace all the time.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/livy/rhodian-delegation-every-city-contains-wicked-citizens-from-time-to/) [Livy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/livy/) > [“The inevitable, tragic corollary of civilization is populace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-sabatini/the-inevitable-tragic-corollary-of-civilization-is-populace/) [Rafael Sabatini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-sabatini/) > [Footage of people camped out at Best Buy or elsewhere is not remotely a celebration. Rather, it's a reminder of just how economically distressed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/footage-of-people-camped-out-at-best-buy-or-elsewhere-is-not-remotely/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [As the world's finest democracy, we do not do guillotines. But there are other less bloody rituals of humiliation, designed to reassure the populace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greider/as-the-world-s-finest-democracy-we-do-not-do-guillotines-but-there/) [William Greider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greider/) ## More by Rick Perlstein > [I love trade magazines - any trade's magazine: by entering into what is taken for granted in a world not your own, you better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/i-love-trade-magazines-any-trade-s-magazine-by-entering-into-what-is/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [When the 2008 victory of Barack Obama and the defeat of grumpy old John McCain began looking, um, inevitable, I started fielding inquiries about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/when-the-2008-victory-of-barack-obama-and-the-defeat-of-grumpy-old/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [Watergate got us to think of leaders as mere mortals. America began to think of itself in a very different way - I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/watergate-got-us-to-think-of-leaders-as-mere-mortals-america-began-to/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [Part of the fantasy certain pro-reform Republicans like to broadcast about Hispanics, family-oriented, churchgoing traditionalists, is that they are somehow natural conservatives, just waiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/part-of-the-fantasy-certain-pro-reform-republicans-like-to-broadcast/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [I'm just a Bolshevik with a laptop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/i-m-just-a-bolshevik-with-a-laptop/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [The history of American higher education over the twentieth century is an extraordinary one, the story of the creation of a powerhouse set of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/the-history-of-american-higher-education-over-the-twentieth-century/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [The only times during my religious instruction I remember hearing God's name invoked with any sincere conviction at all was in the oft-repeated and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/the-only-times-during-my-religious-instruction-i-remember-hearing-god/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [As a general rule of thumb, Democrats do better in national elections when the year's defining issue is economic fairness, and Republicans do better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/as-a-general-rule-of-thumb-democrats-do-better-in-national-elections/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [Computers have cut-and-paste functions. So does right-wing historical memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/computers-have-cut-and-paste-functions-so-does-right-wing-historical/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [Empirical debunking cannot reach the deepest fear of the reactionary mind, which is that the state - that devouring leviathan - will soon swallow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/empirical-debunking-cannot-reach-the-deepest-fear-of-the-reactionary/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [I think that all politicians who aspire to the presidency are a little nuts, but for different reasons. What kind of person aspires to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/i-think-that-all-politicians-who-aspire-to-the-presidency-are-a/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [Chicago's privatization mania began during Mayor Richard M. Daley's administration, which ran from 1989 to 2011. Under his successor, Rahm Emanuel, the trend has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/chicago-s-privatization-mania-began-during-mayor-richard-m-daley-s/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [One thing Republicans understand: In American elections, you have to choose from among only two people - not between the perfect and the good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/one-thing-republicans-understand-in-american-elections-you-have-to/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [Social conservatism, business conservatism: the one side constitutes the other, like some infernal Mobius strip.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/social-conservatism-business-conservatism-the-one-side-constitutes/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [Sometimes I like to think that the responsibility of every new generation of Democrats is to devise a program that mints new Democrats for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/sometimes-i-like-to-think-that-the-responsibility-of-every-new/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) [Explore all 125 Rick Perlstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) ## More Authorities quotes > [We will defend ourselves, and we have full rights to do so. If the authorities try to destroy us, we have the right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-udaltsov/we-will-defend-ourselves-and-we-have-full-rights-to-do-so-if-the/) Sergei Udaltsov > [The job of the government - and my responsibility - is to help people live healthier lives. The framework is about giving local authorities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lansley/the-job-of-the-government-and-my-responsibility-is-to-help-people/) [Andrew Lansley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lansley/) > [The Icesave matter is complex and it is understandable that the issue has been oversimplified by many. Unfortunately some of the basic facts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-siguroardottir/the-icesave-matter-is-complex-and-it-is-understandable-that-the-issue/) [Johanna Siguroardottir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-siguroardottir/) > [Well, I think In Love and War, which had a wonderful performance by Sandy, Sandra Bullock, who the authorities and, the supposed authorities, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-attenborough/well-i-think-in-love-and-war-which-had-a-wonderful-performance-by/) [Richard Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-attenborough/) > [ “all \[the authorities\] did was to guard the distant and invisible interests of distant and invisible masters” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/all-the-authorities-did-was-to-guard-the-distant-and-invisible/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“It is well to remember that authorities in the field of science are really opinions, and that such authorities have a wax nose and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/it-is-well-to-remember-that-authorities-in-the-field-of-science-are/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“The authorities are excellent at amassing facts, though they do not always use them to advantage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/the-authorities-are-excellent-at-amassing-facts-though-they-do-not/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [No state on earth can afford to allow several authorities to co-exist next to one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-abbas/no-state-on-earth-can-afford-to-allow-several-authorities-to-co-exist/) [Mahmoud Abbas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-abbas/) > [As an independent person, I find it difficult being dependent for everything, for even my food and medicine, to the prison authorities. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asif-ali-zardari/as-an-independent-person-i-find-it-difficult-being-dependent-for/) [Asif Ali Zardari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asif-ali-zardari/) > [Trade wars aren't started by countries appealing to respected, independent trade authorities. Rather, trade wars begin when one country decides to violate international trade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-wyden/trade-wars-aren-t-started-by-countries-appealing-to-respected/) [Ron Wyden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-wyden/) > [I acknowledge the right of the authorities and the press to satisfy themselves as to whether I am the anthrax mailer. This does not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-hatfill/i-acknowledge-the-right-of-the-authorities-and-the-press-to-satisfy/) [Steven Hatfill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-hatfill/) > [Ultimate authority in a global system remains with sovereigns. Governments will not have it any other way: politicians face instant rejection from their electorate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/ultimate-authority-in-a-global-system-remains-with-sovereigns/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [We operate under the law. Covert action authorities are communicated in a memorandum of notification.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cofer-black/we-operate-under-the-law-covert-action-authorities-are-communicated/) [Cofer Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cofer-black/) > [In Gujarat, we had the world record of largest number of chess games in a single venue - 20,500 - and in Tamil Nadu,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viswanathan-anand/in-gujarat-we-had-the-world-record-of-largest-number-of-chess-games/) [Viswanathan Anand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viswanathan-anand/) > [The holy scriptures as well as the local and General Authorities of the Church provide a safety net of counsel and guidance for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/the-holy-scriptures-as-well-as-the-local-and-general-authorities-of/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) Browse all 65 Authorities quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Polling only works in a country without a depressed, frightened populace. Where the public trusts authorities enough to tell them the truth without fear of retribution.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rick Perlstein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/polling-only-works-in-a-country-without-a-depressed-frightened/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Authorities" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/polling-only-works-in-a-country-without-a-depressed-frightened/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbf/rick-perlstein-3637_authorities_polling-only-works-in-a-country-without_524941.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbf/rick-perlstein-3637_authorities_polling-only-works-in-a-country-without_524941.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbf/rick-perlstein-3637_authorities_polling-only-works-in-a-country-without_524941.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Polling only works in a country without a depressed, frightened populace. Where the public trusts…” — Rick Perlstein", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rick Perlstein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Polling only works in a country...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/polling-only-works-in-a-country-without-a-depressed-frightened/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/polling-only-works-in-a-country-without-a-depressed-frightened/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```