Poll analysis: What we have learned so far from the polls

What we have learnt so far from the polls

1. The most popular degrees today are degrees in Business Administration
2. University of Phoenix is after all NOT as terrible as it has been portrayed here and elsewhere
3. Al Gore will NOT get Democratic ticket on a Plata. He has to fight gallantly for it
4. Most distance learners are between 35 and 43 years
5. About 76% of those that show interest in DL are whites (Caucasians)
6. Although stay-at-home mums should benefit much from DL, studies show that only about 14 percent of women are currently interested in distance education.
7. Most distance learners are white, protestant, republican, men

 

I think it would be nice if each degreeinfo member's "profile" listed how he/she had voted in each poll.

 

Hi Ike

This is not meant as argumentitive but everything you just stated is untrue or at least invalid as stated. How many responses did the least active poll receive? How many did the most active? All of these responses come from a poll of approximately 1500 people out of a World population of how many billion? So if you want to say these items are true for less than 5% of the 1500 people who visit Degreeinfo that may be correct. Otherwise, these polls are of zero value for seeking a trueful answer. If you believe the polls have entertainment or discussion value that would be a different issue. It is important to realize what polls are and what they truefully say. Not what we think they say.

 

Re: Re: Poll analysis: What we have learned so far from the polls

Dave,

You are correct. I think most people understand that this is not a scientific poll. Further, in terms of a true representative sampling, this would never meet the statistical requirements. Perhaps the results should be reported in the following manner:

In an unscientific poll, of those 1500 degreeinfo.com visitors/members who chose to respond, we found the following...

That is about as far as one could go with these results.

 

But if one could "argue away" the limitations mentioned as irrelevant and, therefore, that the results of the poll could reasonably be extended to the population, those results may have value. If choosing to be a member of this board, choosing to participate in a survey, etc., has no bearing on the makeup of the poll's participants, it could be argued that, despite its non-randomness, it represents the population.

I'm not disagreeing with the inferential statistics limitations--I teach that stuff--just that the world is made up of more than numbers.

I read a recently accepted doctoral dissertation (Nova Southeastern) where the researcher set up a survey on a website and then pointed people to it. When the researcher didn't get enough responses from the random sampling (which wasn't really random to begin with), the researcher "advertised" the existence of the survey on discussion boards likely to contain members of her population. The process clearly violated the randomness requirements of a sample in order to make inferences about a population, but those limitations were noted in the dissertation. As I said, it was accepted.

 

Re: Re: Poll analysis: What we have learned so far from the polls

Dave:
True, but most scientific opinion polls sample as few as 1000 people out of 200, 000,000 eligible voters in the United States. No attempt is being made to claim that the polls here are scientific. I believe that they are for entertainment purpose. However, it is amazing that the poll results look more like what is obtainable in the real world. For example, the population of backs in the United States is about 12 % (Hispanics are also 12%). The poll results indicate that about 12% of blacks and 12% Hispanics post here. Also the results of several scientific studies that dealt with DE indicate that most distance learners are between 35 and 45 years age bracket. It is not surprising to learn that most Americans are protestant. These “jocular” polls only confirm what we already know and we cannot learn anything new from the polls. If you don’t like the polls, just ignore them. Like I have said earlier in another thread, the polls will help the “sadist” among us lighten up but I can’t guarantee that. The polls may actually cause them more aggravations. And like somebody has already suggested, I agree that all polls should be moved to off-topic discussions. It will be a bad idea to ban them altogether.

 

I hope you you are not referring to my dissertation

Ike
Ph.D., NSU (almost)

 

A survey makes an excellent base for a masters degree (and perhaps for a doctorate) thesis. It is often acceptable to repeat a previous survey, either to confirm results, or to determine trends with time. A ERAU instructor recommended Cooper and Schindler "Business Research Methods" as a guide to surveys.
Note: after taking this class I realized that how a poll is conducted has a major effect on the results.

 

Hi Rich

Of course just being accepted does not gurantee the survey as being representative or even valid.

 

Re: Re: Re: Poll analysis: What we have learned so far from the polls

Hi Ike

Thanks for the response. In your oringinal post you simply stated "What we have learned". In this second post you point out that it is likely not representative and is for enertainment purposes only. Dang, when you take my position how can I argue with you?!

 

I wanted to write platter but what I actually had in mind was platter of gold. My mind was fixated on Rio de Plata in Argentina . On a serious note, I will travel to Brazil and Argentina next week on a business trip and I have been reading materials from several sources that contain information about these two countries.

 

Um, you forgot something....

Ike,

One thing the poll has forgotten to take into account: most all DL folks are...broke!

To quote Charlie Brown, "Am I right? I say, AM I RIGHT?"

 

Re: Um, you forgot something....

You are wrong. In my case, my tuitions were reimbursed up to 90%. That's why I can afford to own a Lexus GS 430 and a Lexus LX 470 while studying for a Ph.D.

 

Re: Re: Um, you forgot something....

He's not totally wrong. I paid my own way (except for my Master's degree, which was free on a Veteran's waiver), which is why I drive a 7-year old Jeep Cherokee and work 60+ hours a week.


Bruce