Surveying Surveys
8/4/08
Be Careful What You Ask For
It’s the season for political polling, which is a convenient occasion for illustrating the many potential pitfalls of conducting opinion research. Last week there was a particularly good example of biases in opinions caused by the way a question is asked. There is currently a bill (House Bill 1366) in the North Carolina State Legislature […]
By Geoff UrlandRead More
6/18/08
Polling at the POP
I have been offered short surveys during checkout (i.e. POP: Point of Purchase) several times in the last few months at several retail stores. One such example is at Wal-Mart (okay, they could have been doing this for a while, but I don’t shop there frequently). The screen just asked one question: “Was the cashier […]
By David KennedyRead More
6/11/08
They get one right
In a recent post, Auto Dealers and their Research, I chastised businesses that try to sway customer surveys in order to look good, without trying to learn anything from the research. Well, to be fair, I want to offer some praise for something they recently got right.I recently made several trips to my auto dealer […]
By David KennedyRead More
5/19/08
Denver Performing Arts Survey Results
The survey we recently completed for the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs has received two nice write ups in the local press after a great public presentation of the results by DOCA director Dr. Erin Trapp. This extensive survey of Denver residents consisted of 814 interviews with residents, including 205 with self-identified African Americans and […]
By Geoff UrlandRead More
5/12/08
Auto dealers and their “research”
When I recently bought my new car I was informed that I would be receiving a satisfaction survey in the mail shortly asking me about my buying experience. I thought, “Fair enough.” Then I was told that they really like to see top scores for everything, and that if I feel something wasn’t top notch […]
By David KennedyRead More
5/9/08
That’s a long receipt
As any home handyman (or handywoman) who frequents Home Depot probably has experienced, the receipt you receive can be quite disproportionate to the actual purchase. Why is my receipt always 2 feet long even for only a handful of items? Their satisfaction survey, of course. I first received one of these survey requests probably years […]
By David KennedyRead More