Internet Polls Are Crap!

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Internet Polls Are Crap!
Tweet Topic Started: Feb 13 2006, 09:04 PM (120 Views)
spikefish	Feb 13 2006, 09:04 PM Post #1
Spike-Gulf of Texas Posts: 127 Group: Members Member #248 Joined: December 30, 2005	Below are the results of an internet poll on MSN. Please note how the second option is phrased. A 'loaded' survey, IMO. Seems there should be more options. _______________________________________________________________ Should the White House have announced the accidental shooting by Vice President Cheney as soon as it knew? * 74489 responses Yes, by not doing so it only turned the spotlight on itself. 60% No, it was appropriate that the ranch owner be the one reporting the incident. 40% Not a scientifically valid survey. Click to learn more.
	Gulf of Texas


cmoehle	Feb 13 2006, 09:13 PM Post #2
Chris - San Antonio TX Posts: 36,959 Group: Members Member #1 Joined: June 6, 2004	Right, false dichotomy, loaded, looking for evidence to support a foregone conclusion.
	Politics is the art of achieving the maximum amount of freedom for individuals that is consistent with the maintenance of social order. --Barry Goldwater


kajtek1	Feb 13 2006, 11:34 PM Post #3
Kris, CA Posts: 1,652 Group: Members Member #43 Joined: July 12, 2004	If I "work" on this survey long enough I'll find its correlation with men's impotence at certain age.



cmoehle	Feb 14 2006, 06:23 AM Post #4
Chris - San Antonio TX Posts: 36,959 Group: Members Member #1 Joined: June 6, 2004	Yes, but is is a casual or causal correlation? Polls can be useful tools if done properly, which is not easy to do since we all come with prejudices and biases. I think the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle applies. Polls over years that show trends tend to be more informative.
	Politics is the art of achieving the maximum amount of freedom for individuals that is consistent with the maintenance of social order. --Barry Goldwater


Colo_Crawdad	Feb 14 2006, 08:21 AM Post #5
Lowell Posts: 1,808 Group: Members Member #15 Joined: June 21, 2004	It occurs to me that the wording of the questions and answers is the very least of the problems with an internet poll. The real problem is the lack of randomness on the part of respondents which thereby invalidates any attempt to generalizable the results.
	"WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY AND HE IS US." --- Pogo


tomdrobin	Feb 15 2006, 09:11 PM Post #6
Member Posts: 2,531 Group: Members Member #27 Joined: July 2, 2004	I think most polls are crap. Even the "scientific" ones are often flawed with unaccounted for variables. Even "scientific research studies" where they ask people questions about health, diet etc. are flawed. People respond often by what they perceive they do or would do, which actually may not be true at all. I've often heard my DW tell people about how little red meat she eats. And, then I remark, well what about Tuesday's burger etc. etc. Individuals with relatively few exceptions see themselves and the world as they wish to see it with little objectivity IMO.


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