"I'm not sure people are ever completely comfortable telling pollsters what they do and don't think"
About this Quote
Sawyer’s intent is diagnostic. She’s pointing to the gap between opinion as a lived thing and opinion as a survey response. People don’t only hold beliefs; they manage them. They edit for politeness, for safety, for belonging. They might soften a harsh view, exaggerate a virtuous one, or dodge a taboo entirely, not because they’re plotting to mislead, but because modern life trains us to treat every question as a test.
The subtext also reads as a quiet critique of the media ecosystem that treats polls as weather reports: objective, frictionless, ready for cable-news graphics. If discomfort is baked in, then “public opinion” is partly a product of how it’s solicited and who’s listening. Coming from a journalist who spent decades translating politics for mass audiences, the line carries an implicit warning: numbers can look precise while still missing the most politically important variable of all - what people will admit when someone is taking notes.
Quote Details
| Topic | Honesty & Integrity |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Sawyer, Diane. (2026, January 17). I'm not sure people are ever completely comfortable telling pollsters what they do and don't think. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-not-sure-people-are-ever-completely-44229/
Chicago Style
Sawyer, Diane. "I'm not sure people are ever completely comfortable telling pollsters what they do and don't think." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-not-sure-people-are-ever-completely-44229/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I'm not sure people are ever completely comfortable telling pollsters what they do and don't think." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/im-not-sure-people-are-ever-completely-44229/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.




