Using A Split-ballot Survey to Explore the Robustness of the 'MIP' Question in Agenda-Setting Research: A Methodological Study

Three aspects of the 'most important problem' question used in agenda-setting research to measure issue salience among the public were examined. A split-ballot design in a state-wide survey compared versions of the public agenda with a social frame of reference versus a personal frame of reference, versions using the traditional term 'problem' versus 'issue', and the effects of question order. High correlations between the different versions were found in all three sets of comparisons.