Jan. 2, 1959: Long before Nate Silver launched 538, Paul Coates was skeptical of polls and to prove his point formed his own polling concern: the Los Angeles Survey Institute. His question: “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?”
The Mann Act, of course, banned taking a woman across state lines for immoral purposes. Coates found that 12% of respondents realized the Mann Act involved “white slavery.” The rest? Oh dear.
ladailymirror.com 
“White Slavery” what a term! It is unthinkable because it is ‘White’. The other kind, not so much.
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A reliable gag. The Man Show polled women on the street about needing to “stop womens suffrage”. Most agreed, and hilarity ensued.
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That’s for sure. I recall a story about Upton Sinclair (in)famously circulating a “petition” asking people to sign the Bill of Rights. Many refused!
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