One of the real virtues of a public survey is to provide courage for public officials as they make politically charged decisions.
Being a public official is tough--constantly asked to make important decisions on a multiplicity of topics on which lack technical expertise, and so you are really reliant on: A) what you staff says, and B) what your personal network says. So, it is easy to get a skewed view of what the public supports or will at least accept, and how widespread opposition actually is.
Something to remember next time you design a rider survey--be sure to include a question that addresses political questions like coverage vs. frequency.
Most people also firmly hold a wide variety of beliefs based on anecdotal evidence. Empirical data, empirical data, when presented with a compelling narrative and selected representative anecdotes, can do a lot to change minds.