The majority of college grads, 61.6 percent, correctly chose Elena Kagan. The second-most selected option was Lawrence Warren Pierce, a former federal judge with a name that’s relatively unknown to the general public.
Almost as unknown is “Judith Sheindlin,” the real name of “Judge Judy.” While the hugely popular, nationally syndicated TV judge’s moniker has become somewhat of a household name, “Judith Sheindlin” is just another vaguely familiar name on a list.
Studies like this show how pollsters can focus on relatively peripheral results to inflate their findings and call attention to their studies. Last month, another organization’s survey showed Americans were divided over whether they wanted to bomb Agrabah, the fictional home of Aladdin. Most people said they weren’t sure, but the fact that anyone fell for the trick was the widely reported “troubling” outcome.
