Bad Polls

[Godmode]

I'm not sure if this is the correct area to place it, but while browsing the news I came upon this gem (scroll down, on right hand side)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16959621/site/newsweek/

Here's the Poll Question and Answers:
Would you buy a $100 PC, or does that sound too cheap? * 1854 responses
Yes
54%
No
31%
Not sure
------------------------
Now, am I the only one that sees a problem with this? They are not asking a yes or no question, they are asking an either/or question. What the hell do those answers even mean?? Yes they'd buy it? Yes it sounds to cheap??

This sort of polling just bugs me.:boggled:

[tkingdoll]

Ha ha! That's...stupid.

Have you emailed to point it out?

How on earth are they going to phrase the results?

"54% of respondents think a $100 laptop is too cheap would buy a $100 laptop"

[UnrepentantSinner]

This thread would have contained some metairony if you made the OP a poll. ;)

Someone should have caught the responses should have been:
"I would by $100 computer"
or
"That's too cheap."

And Teek, the way you've couched the responses it would be more like
"85% of people think a $100 computer is too cheap and would buy it."

[UnrepentantSinner]

Let me guess what tomorrows poll will be:

"Do you like egg salad, tuna salad or ham salad?"

Yes 0
No 0
Both 0

[tkingdoll]

This thread would have contained some metairony if you made the OP a poll. ;)

Someone should have caught the responses should have been:
"I would by $100 computer"
or
"That's too cheap."

And Teek, the way you've couched the responses it would be more like
"85% of people think a $100 computer is too cheap and would buy it."

No, because the question doesn't give us that information. My sentence was a tongue-in-cheek attempt to show the incompatibility of the 'or' statements, because the 'or' should make them mututally exclusive. If the question was "would you buy a $100 laptop and is that too cheap, then you would be correct.

Technically it's not "54% of respondents think a $100 laptop is too cheap or would buy a $100 laptop" either because that suggests a split in the results which we cannot know. We don't know if people genuinely think $100 is too cheap but would buy it anyway, or were answering just one of the questions (it's too cheap so wouldn't buy it, or would buy it and it's not too cheap).

So I think I'm right with the absurd "54% of respondents think a $100 laptop is too cheap would buy a $100 laptop".

The fact that the answer makes no sense is a reflection of the question.

[ohp]

I think $100 is a great price to pay for a computer!

Wait, have I got the point, or have I completely missed it?

Please vote Yes or No.

[ohp]

I just love the way so statistics ultimately end up as being meaningless, even if the question ultimately makes sense.

There's this stuff they're advertising on the TV where they say something like "80% of women who suffered from digestive discomfort said that they felt better after 7 days after taking our probiotic yoghurt"

Immediately my brain starts asking me "OK, and how did the control group feel after 7 days?"

Pesky brain. Always ruining things.

[Morrigan]

Haha, reminds me of that early PS2 game, Ring of Red. At some point the enemy taunted you, and asked, "How do you think you can defeat me?". The choice of answer were: Yes / No. :D

[UnrepentantSinner]

No, because the question doesn't give us that information. My sentence was a tongue-in-cheek attempt to show the incompatibility of the 'or' statements, because the 'or' should make them mututally exclusive. If the question was "would you buy a $100 laptop and is that too cheap, then you would be correct.

Technically it's not "54% of respondents think a $100 laptop is too cheap or would buy a $100 laptop" either because that suggests a split in the results which we cannot know. We don't know if people genuinely think $100 is too cheap but would buy it anyway, or were answering just one of the questions (it's too cheap so wouldn't buy it, or would buy it and it's not too cheap).

So I think I'm right with the absurd "54% of respondents think a $100 laptop is too cheap would buy a $100 laptop".

The fact that the answer makes no sense is a reflection of the question.

You do realize that totally overanalyzing a joke is hot? ;)

[J. Arthur Hastur]

Yo! Nes! Perhaps!

[tkingdoll]

You do realize that totally overanalyzing a joke is hot? ;)

I am soooo famous for overanalysing jokes here, I get to the point where I think "shall I carry on or just leave it" and it always comes up in favour of carrying on.

I live to explain myself!

See, I'm doing it again!

[JonnyFive]

Haha, reminds me of that early PS2 game, Ring of Red. At some point the enemy taunted you, and asked, "How do you think you can defeat me?". The choice of answer were: Yes / No. :D

I always hated those old RPGs where you would get a yes/no option for something like "Do you want to save the princess?" It wouldn't matter which you chose, because choosing "no" just gave you some stupid "Oh you kidder, do you want to save the princess yes/no?" dialogue every single time.

Does anyone else agree with this? Please choose one of the following:
1) Trigonometry.
2) Potato.
3) Three.

[Morrigan]

Yes, old games are notorious for that, though in more recent games (such as the Suikoden series) many of the choices you make actually matter storyline-wise.

[Kilgore Trout]

I'm bothered by it being a leading question. But then, I don't think there's a good way to word this goofy question to begin with.

And to answer the above question, D) All and/or none of the above.

[CynicalSkeptic]

There's this stuff they're advertising on the TV where they say something like "80% of women who suffered from digestive discomfort said that they felt better after 7 days after taking our probiotic yoghurt"

There's a similar one for weight loss. The ad. says something like "78% of participants in a scientific study of our product lost weight." They don't mention how many of that 78% were in the control group.

[John Jackson]

I liked the one here in the UK from a year or so back for car insurance.

Woman driving her car [to her husband]: How much did we save on the car insurance again?

Husband: 30%

Or: How to mislead an audience with a lonely statistic.

[UnrepentantSinner]

I am soooo famous for overanalysing jokes here, I get to the point where I think "shall I carry on or just leave it" and it always comes up in favour of carrying on.

I live to explain myself!

See, I'm doing it again!

"Should Teek carry on or just leave it"

Yes 0
No 0
Ooooh Baby 0