3.8 Readers of the magazine Popular Science were asked to phone in (on a 900 number) their responses to the following question: Should the United States build more fossil fuel–generating plants or the new so-called safe nuclear generators to meet the energy crisis of the ’90s? Of the total call-ins, 86% chose the nuclear option.

What do you think about the way the poll was conducted? What do you think about the way the question was worded? Do you think the result are a good estimate of the prevailing mood of the country? (See Popular Science, August 1990, for details.)