The Public Decide Blog - Public Surveys

A new Blog, The Public Decide, has been associated to the main Survey Galaxy website.

The Public Decide blog features fun and topical public surveys for all the family.

The link, Public Surveys, can be found on the home page in the footer section.

The Best Ever Similes Written by High School Students?

From a short list of similes that have been compiled by American high school English teachers and taken from actual essays assignments we ask you to pick your favourite top three.

Participate in this weeks open survey The Best Ever Similes Written by High School Students?

Is Fiji's Military Coup a Bad Thing?

The South Pacific island of Fiji is now in the process of its fourth coup in twenty years.

Historically this tourist paradise has always experienced tension between the ethnic Fijian population who make up the majority and the minority Indian Fijians.

The man responsible for the latest coup, Fijian Military chief Frank Bainimarama, was himself responsible for putting down the last coup in 2000.

Since July 2005 he had publicly threatened that he would topple the government if it were to implement legislation that would pardon the jailed 2000 plotters.

The coup has been widely condemned around the world but there appears to be mixed views among the Fijians population. The Ethnic Indians who now make up roughly 40% show strong support for the commander who has insisted that his goal was to establish a government that stood for all citizens of Fiji.

Do you think that the coup should be Internationally condemned?

Do you think the world is interested in what happens in Fiji?

Should the UN intervene?

Participate in this weeks open survey Is Fiji's Military Coup a Bad Thing?

'One Laptop per Child' project debate

In November 2005 MIT's Nicholas Negroponte first showcased a prototype of a $100 robust laptop for the developing world’s children which was welcomed at the time by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan as an "expression of global solidarity".

The 'One Laptop per Child' project has had its critics, some asking how anyone could build such a computer when the screens alone cost about $100, others questioning the value of computers to both learning and economic development.

A year later and about to launch, the cost of the finished product when the machines go into full-scale production by Taiwan-based Quanta Computer is likely to be nearer $150 than $100 but it is hoped that the $100 target will be achieved with volume if they prove successful.

Kofi Annan has said that with the laptops "Children will be able to learn by doing, not just through instruction - they will be able to open up new fronts for their education, particularly peer-to-peer learning," and that the initiative was "inspiring", and held the promise of special and economic development for children in developing countries.

Do you think that a low cost laptop for the developing world’s children represents worthwhile aid?

Do you think that the money spent on equipment would be better spent towards more teachers?

Do you agree with Bill Gates, Microsoft’s chairman and a leading philanthropist for the third world, when he has questioned whether the concept is right to “just taking what we do in the rich world” and assuming that that is something good for the developing world, too?

Where do you stand on the 'One Laptop per Child' debate?

Participate in this weeks open survey 'One Laptop per Child' project debate

(For more detailed information on the project please visit the One Laptop per Child website.)

Was Saddam Hussein's trial fair?

Iraq's Special Tribunal has found Saddam Hussein guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced him and two of his co-defendants to death by hanging for their part in the killing of 148 Shia Muslims in Dujail in 1982 after a failed assassination attempt against him.

Do you think Saddam Hussein received a fair trial?

Do you think the death sentence is appropriate?

Participate in this weeks open survey Was Saddam Hussein's trial fair?

All change on Capitol Hill - Time for a New Foreign Policy?

With the American mid-term elections now done and dusted and the democrats handed power of Capitol Hill there could be a change of US foreign policy from the Bush neoconservative approach that relies on the US military strength to one that is about building ties with other nations.

Is it time for a change in US foreign policy and do you think that the US security depends less on military might and more about finding agreement with other nations?

Participate in this weeks open survey All change on Capitol Hill - Time for a New Foreign Policy?

Madonna's child - Should the Ritchies be allowed to adopt?

Madonna's life has always provoked controversy and her reported planned, and Malawi Government approved, adoption of the now infamous 13 month old David Bandahas has created a new furore.

Has Madonna, and husband Guy Ritchie, used her celebrity to flout Malawi's adoption laws?

Has the boy's father been exploited?

Has a child from the developing world been turned into a commodity?

How cynical are you of the increasing number of celebrities that show their willingness to support and help Africa?

Participate in this weeks open survey Madonna's child - Should the Ritchies be allowed to adopt?

Does North Korea Pose a Threat to the World?

North Korea has made no secret that it is actively pursuing a programme of nuclear development.

On October 9th it announced that it had conducted its first test of nuclear explosion, a statement that no country to date disputes.

North Korea claims that its weapons are just for defence, but no-one outside the country can be certain how many it has, or if it really has any at all. Some view North Korea's claim to have nuclear weapons as an attempt to force the US into concessions.

The US are worried that North Korea might try to generate much-needed cash by selling nuclear secrets and weapons to terrorists or other nations hostile to the US.

Does North Korea represent a threat to the region, or the US?

Do the UN sanctions that have been placed on North Korea since October 14 represent an act of war?

Is North Korea just taking the opportunity to demand attention while the US are bogged down in Iraq?

Participate in this weeks open survey Does North Korea Pose a Threat to the World?

What are the Most Romantic Movies of all Time?

What romantic movie stands head and shoulders above the rest?

Were you moved by Titanic or do you hanker back to era of the black and white movie and all time classics such as Casablanca?

Which movie pairing had the most on screen chemistry, can Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet match the 40's pairing of Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart or Clark Gable and Joan Crawford from the 30's?

Participate in this weeks open survey What are the Most Romantic Movies of all Time?

Should Muslim Women Living in Western Societies Unveil?

The British Cabinet Minister Jack Straw, whose constituency has a large Muslim population, has provoked anger and indignation among broad sections of the Muslim community in calling for Islamic women to stop wearing the veil(niqab) covering their face.

Mr Straw says that the practise hindered community relations and was a visible statement of separation and of difference.

Mr Straw said that he had chosen his words carefully. "We are able to relate to people we don't know by reading their faces and if you can't see their faces, that provides some separation," and went on to say "Those people who do wear the veil should think about the implications for community relations."

Some of Mr Straw's supporters have added that this was an important issue that needed to be debated.

British Muslim leaders and fellow Labour MPs, have however pointed to a series of statements from ministers which they say have challenged attitudes towards multiculturalism.

Was Mr Straw right to bring the subject up for debate?

Should Muslim Women be encouraged to unveil themselves when they live in Western societies or do these comments only serve to demonstrate the lack of understanding and tolerance towards people with different faiths?

Participate in this weeks open survey Should Muslim Women Living in Western Societies Unveil?

How Superstitious Are You?

Are you in any way superstitious?

Do you believe old wives tales, omens and signs to indicate lucky or unlucky things ahead?

Would you wish on a shooting star or knock on wood after mentioning good fortune?

Participate in this weeks free survey How Superstitious Are You?

Did the Pope make a good point or a faux-paux?

In a controversial speech the head of the Catholic church Pope Benedict XVI was widely condemned for quoting a 700-year-old exchange between a medieval Byzantine emperor and a learned Islamic scholar "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached".

Did the Pope agree with this view or was the point he was trying to make valid but lost in 'headline' sound bites?

Can the head of a faith that has through the ages had hideous crimes carried out in its own name be in a position to judge other faiths? Can the Islam faith be self critical?

Participate in this weeks free survey Did the Pope make a good point or a faux-paux?

What are the most important things in life?

What are the most and least important things in life?

Select from our short list the five that you think the most and least important.

Participate in this weeks free survey What are the most and least important things in life?

How will history view the Bush/Blair legacy?

The Bush/Blair era of interventionist policy is coming to a close as both play out their remaining days in office.

Together they have passionately argued that state sponsored terrorism posed a serious threat to the 'freedom' and 'way of life' that was enjoyed by the world's democracies.

However, many have argued that far from eliminating terrorism their foreign policies have failed at every level and are directly responsible for creating a new threat from home grown extremists, or at the very least, discourse between communities that previously lived in harmony.

As both governments continue with their fight against an unseen enemy, many have argued that the 'freedom' and 'way of life' that needs protecting is being destroyed by the very 'need' to fight terrorism.

Critics of Bush and Blair say that the previous administrations policy of containment proved far more effective and that home-grown threats are the direct results of their pre-emptive doctrine.

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger recently stated that "The diplomacy appropriate to denuclearisation is comparable to the containment policy that helped win the Cold War: no pre-emptive challenge to the external security of the adversary, but firm resistance to attempts to project its power abroad and reliance on domestic forces to bring about internal change."

Do you think that the 'interventionist' approach was and still remains correct, or do you think it was always seriously flawed?

Participate in this weeks free survey How will history view the Bush/Blair legacy?

Tom Cruise True Superstar or Mission Impossible?

In August Tom Cruise and Paramount, so long a partnership that seemed to have been made in heaven, announced that they were to part company.

A bitter and public divorce is now likely as Viacom Inc's Chairman Sumner Redstone belittled Tom Cruise by publicly evicting Cruise's production company from his company's Paramount Pictures studio.

In a war of words, Cruise's team have claimed that it was they that left while Paramount executives have given 'unreasonable behaviour', 'excessive demands' and unfordable salaries as the reasons for 'their' decision.

In recent months Tom has been seen bouncing on Oprah Winfrey's sofa to declare his love for a girlfriend who then it is rumoured gave birth in Scientology-demanded silence, where gossip would have it that he went on to eat the baby's placenta. Are these the actions of a 'weirdo', untrue gossip or just Tom Cruise being Tom Cruise?

Will the Tom Cruise cash cow be snapped up by a rival company, will he fade away or will he threaten the major players by finding funding for new films through new channels?

Were Paramount right to take a stand or will Tom Cruise go on to serve them humble pie?


Participate in this weeks free survey Tom Cruise True Superstar or Mission Impossible?

Are Honorary Degrees a Slap in the Face to Real Students?

It takes the majority of people time and sacrifice to study and successfully achieve an academic degree.

For those that succeed there is the public acknowledgement of receiving their degree dressed in the traditional gown and hat and the personal satisfaction of having achieved a qualification respected throughout the world.

However, for a fortunate few there is the Honorary degree handed out on a plate by the world's academic institutions.

Honorary degrees are not a modern day phenomenon, the first being awarded to the brother-in-law of Edward IV by England's Oxford University in 1478.

Are honorary degrees that are awarded to the famous and infamous valid recognition for people who took a different path through life or are they a slap in the face to real students?

Participate in this weeks free survey Are Honorary Degrees a Slap in the Face to Real Students?

Is Community Service Suitable Punishment For Famous People?

Boy George, the androgynous eighties pop icon, was ordered by an American court to complete five days of community service that required him to sweep the streets of Lower Manhattan.

He was joined by a gaggle of news photographers, reporters and fans that together prevented him from carrying out his assigned duties forcing the sanitation department to instead find a gated parking lot for him to clean.

Other stars who like Boy George have been given community service instead of custodian sentences have been George Michael, Winona Ryder and Halle Berry.

Is community service a suitable punishment for people in the public eye or is it a punishment that is just not appropriate to the rich and famous?

Participate in this weeks free survey Is Community Service Suitable Punishment For Famous People?

Is Hizbullah a Terroist Organisation?

As the Israeli military action against Lebanon continues unabated and with no end in sight, UN proposal put forward to cease hostilities are viewed by the Lebanese government as one sided and have described one proposal 'agreed' by the UN council as simply "a recipe for more confrontation".

Despite the past rhetoric from Hizbullah calling for the destruction of the Israeli state few will be prepared to argue that Israel faces a real threat of destruction or occupation from Hizbullah, Hammas or Iran.

Israel is however actively engaged in the destruction of a nation, bombing Lebanon back "by 20 years", as the Israeli military put it, and is in occupation of Palestinian land.

Much has been said and reported to label Hizbullah as a terrorist organisation and the root cause of Israel's military escalation but how true is that accusation?

This weeks survey tests your knowledge of Hizbullah and asks if you view Hizbullah as a terrorist organisation or a legitimate resistance movement?

Participate in this weeks free survey Is Hizbullah a Terroist Organisation?

How should recreational drugs be classified?

A number of countries have recently looked at the systems used for classifying drugs.

A recent UK report stated that they found "The system for classifying drugs is inconsistent, irrational and "not fit for purpose".

The same report was highly critical of the police, the Government and its advisers and called for the classification system to be put on a scientific basis, according to the harm a substance causes.

The committee that compiled the report took advice from a panel of drug experts and concluded that alcohol and tobacco are more dangerous than ecstasy, LSD and cannabis, based on a "rational" classification system that the committee strongly supported.

The committee took into account research conducted by the University of Bristol who assessed a list of 20 drugs, legal and illegal, in nine categories and weighed up the physical harm, tendency to induce dependence and the impact on families, communities and society.

Using a "rational" ranking method showed that some legal substances were much riskier than those deemed most dangerous, the current Class A drugs.

Others that have been demonised, notably ecstasy, are near the bottom of the table of risk. Even though it is legal alcohol was high up the new scale because it is involved in more than half of all visits to accident and emergency departments and orthopaedic admissions. Alcohol often leads to violence and is a frequent cause of car accidents.

Another legal drug tobacco is estimated to cause up to 40 per cent of all hospital illness and 60 per cent of drug-related fatalities.

By the experts' method, alcohol and tobacco would both be Class B drugs which in the UK currently includes Amphetamines, Methylphenidate (Ritalin), Pholcodine and carries a punishment for possession of up to five years in prison or an unlimited fine; Or both.

The committee want to see the classification of drugs routinely reassessed using a rational and court sentences for drug abuse stratified according to how far up the new scale a drug lies.

Do you think that the classification of drugs should be based on risk factors and not the present systems that tend to be inconsistent and the results of ad hoc judgments and historical accidents?

Participate in this weeks free survey How should recreational drugs be classified?

Are you a Holiday Junkie?

Are you a holiday junkie or do you find it hard to take a break?

This weeks survey asks how many days holidays you are entitled to and on average how many do you take.

Would you like more holidays and how much importance do you place on holidays?

With many wonders of the world to see, or world events to witness, which are the ones you have seen, or would you like, to see?

Participate in this weeks free survey Are you a Holiday Junkie?