Polling among a citizenry that is completely unaccustomed to the practices and purposes of polling can be dangerously deceptive. The first reaction to an individual asking questions about sensitive matters is likely to be suspicion; it may be difficult or impossible to convince people that their answers are confidential and that you are trying to figure out what "the people" think as opposed to what they, the individuals being questioned, think. Many, often most, conclude that the safest response is to tell the questioner what you think he wants to hear, not what you really think.

When polls in Afghanistan and Pakistan show relatively low levels of sympathy for the Taliban, we have to ask how many people would be willing to identify themselves as Taliban sympathizers to a government that is at war with the Taliban.

All too often polling provides a scientific, statistically significant sampling of what the citizenry thinks are the desired answers to the questions being asked. "Tell 'em what they want to hear" is a time-tested device for getting out of an awkward situation, and a stranger asking delicate questions is an awkward situation.