Conduct an Opinion Poll

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Surveys can provide us with useful information about people's opinions and their knowledge. You could conduct a survey to find out what other students at your school, or people from the wider community, think and know about nuclear weapons. Analyse your results and share what you discover! Note that collecting personal data such as age, occupation and city of residence can be useful. For example, you might discover that young people know more about nuclear weapons than older people!

Steps

  1. Design your survey based on what you hope to learn (See sample survey opposite).
  2. Distribute your survey along with instructions for returning it to you once completed.
  3. Compile the survey results in a spreadsheet.
  4. Analyse the results and pick out statistics that people will find interesting.
  5. Write a report of your findings and send it to your local paper.

Nuclear weapons survey

Personal details

Age: _____

Occupation: ____________________

City/town: _____________________

Your knowledge

True

False

1. Nuclear weapons are routinely used in warfare.

 

 

2. Most countries that have made nuclear weapons have now given them up.

 

 

3. The use of nuclear weapons is considered illegal under international law.

 

 

4. The number of nuclear weapons worldwide is in the tens of thousands.

 

 

5. Several dozen countries currently possess nuclear weapons.

 

 

6. Most nuclear weapons are in the arsenals of Russia and the United States.

 

 

7. There are more nuclear weapons today than at the height of the Cold War.

 

 
Your opinion

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Strongly agree

1. All nuclear weapons should be dismantled without further delay.

 

 

 

 

 

2. Nuclear weapons pose a serious threat to global security and human survival.

 

 

 

 

 

3. Nuclear weapons are worse than all other types of weapons.

 

 

 

 

 

4. The risk of nuclear war is higher today than at any other time.

 

 

 

 

 

5. Nuclear weapons help to keep the peace so long as they’re in the right hands.

 

 

 

 

 

6. It’s likely that nuclear weapons will be eliminated in coming decades.

 

 

 

 

 

7. Eliminating nuclear weapons is more important than curbing climate change.

 

 

 

 

 

Answers: 1) False; 2) False; 3) True; 4) True; 5) False; 6) True; 7) False