The Press: Ignorance Is Embarrassing

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How intelligently does the average citizen respond to a poll? Not very, in the opinion of Los Angeles Mirror-News Columnist Paul Coates (TIME, Jan. 17, 1955). "To us average citizens," says Coates, "ignorance is not bliss; it's embarrassing. Ask us something about anything, and we'll give you a carefully considered answer, even though we don't understand your question."

To make his point. Columnist Coates set himself up as the "Los Angeles Survey Institute," and assigned three assistants to call 150 names (mostly housewives) chosen at random from the telephone book. The "Institute's" question was loaded: "Do you think the Mann Act deters or helps the cause of organized labor—and if you feel it deters, would you vote for its repeal?" Last week Coates published the results:

Only 12% of Coates's victims identified the Mann Act for what it is: the federal white slave traffic law, passed in 1910, which forbids transporting women for immoral purposes across a state line. Thirty-eight per cent of the housewives favored repeal of the Mann Act, 10% opposed. Sample responses:

"We need the Mann Act. Labor would just go wild without it."

"We're strictly against that act in our family."

"It certainly shouldn't be repealed. Hoffa gets away with too much as it is."

"I don't care what they do about the Mann Act. They're all a bunch of grafters anyway."

"My husband's in the union, and I'm for anything that helps the workingman."