Transcript Stephen Mills - "Focus Groups: Myth or Reality?"

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 Purity
o Degradation
o High minded/Patriotic
o Timidity
o Courage
o Lack of principle
o Principle
o Corruption
o Selflessness
o Abdication of leadership
o Leadership
o Imprisonment
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 defence
o 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 democracy
o 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 technology
o 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.
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