Avoiding Massive Automated Voting in Internet Polls

Internet polls are becoming nowadays more and more important as they are being used on a large scale. Their security aspects are probably the most significant and hardest issue to be solved when we consider web surveys. In this paper we present an innovative solution which considerably increases the security of Internet polls and the reliability of their results by discriminating between human-cast and machine-cast votes. We define the basic idea of the method used to achieve our goal, its security properties and the testing results on a working prototype. In order to better test the performance and the effective robustness of the solution from the security point of view, we also propose a public challenge.     

Public opinion changes after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident to nuclear power generation as seen in continuous polls over the past 30 years

In this study, the results of surveys conducted over the past 30 years were analyzed. The surveys include continuous opinion polls conducted by seven organizations, those conducted by eight news media one year after the Fukushima Daiichi accident, and those conducted by Institute of Nuclear Safety System (INSS) 14 times from 1993 to December 2011. The results were as follows: (1) negative opinions towards nuclear power generation (NPG) suggesting ‘abolition or reduction,’ which was 20%–30% over the past 30 years, increased to 70% from four to six months after the accident, when there was also much news about renewable energy. (2) Even after the accident, 60% regarded NPG as ‘inevitable,’ but many opposed future replacement or new construction of NPG facilities. (3) After the accident, recognition of the usefulness of NPG and concerns about electric power shortages in the near future remained unchanged, while anxiety and distrust toward NPG increased significantly. When considering power generation options, people now tend to focus on accident risks. (4) Nevertheless, people are neither aware of various possible problems caused by reducing NPG nor willing to accept a significant rise of electricity rates caused by the shift to renewable energy.     

Consumer demand for ‘green power’ and energy efficiency

This article examines reported willingness to pay for electric utility investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency resources using the results of Deliberative Polls^® conducted by electric utilities in Texas.¹ Age, education, and salary tend to affect reported willingness to pay for utility investments in these resources. Intensive exposure to information about energy resource issues led to an increase in the number of respondents interested in paying a modest premium to support investments in both renewable energy resources and energy efficiency. However, average reported premiums actually declined following the Polls, as very high outlier responses moved to more reasonable values following the Polls. These results support the contention that informed dialogue about energy alternatives will result in broader interest in providing a modest level of support for these resources.     

Reading others’ comments and public opinion poll results on social media: Social judgment and spiral of empowerment

Applying Social Judgment Theory and the Spiral of Silence, we tested the effects of online comments and public opinion polls on the public's’ latitude of acceptance of others' online comments, attitude toward a company, and willingness to speak out on Social Media. We conducted two experiments and found that the effects of online comments and public opinion polls interact with individuals' prior attitudes toward a corporation. The latitude of acceptance toward online comments and participants' willingness to speak out online increased as the comments themselves became negative only among people with negative prior attitudes. However, the change was not detected among people with positive prior attitudes. Practical and theoretical implications were further discussed.     

柏拉图理想秩序观及其当代价值探析

基于对《理想国》《法律篇》及相关文本的解读,以时间为脉络,采用文献分析、层次分析等研究方法,对柏拉图中期、晚期的理想秩序观进行梳理,分析柏拉图不同时期内的秩序观及其特征,挖掘其对当代个人、国家,乃至世界的健康和谐发展的重要意义.     

Psychology and the legal process: Opinion polls as evidence.

The purpose of this paper was "to describe the actual and potential use of… polls and surveys as legal evidence and to comment on relevant legal decisions for the benefit of interested psychologists." The value of public opinion polls was indicated in change-of-venue decisions, in attitudes toward euthanasia, in determining the moral climate of a community, and in determining whether a certain statement or epithet is capable of being defamatory in the public mind in connection with evidence of libel or slander. It was pointed out that the potential uses of survey evidence in litigation are numerous, and that the courts are showing increasing acceptance of this evidence. Steps toward insuring the psychologist's acceptance as an independent expert and areas of preparation by the psychologist for court testimony are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)