So What’s the Issue with Surveys?

Go back to any real life relationship you’ve had in the past. I’m guessing it started with a question. Why? Because you wanted to prove that you were interested in learning about the other person. One of the easiest ways to establish a relationship is to get the other person talking about him or herself. Thus, it’s no secret that forms and surveys can drive off the charts engagement.

The secret of the survey is to do it well. In college, the school I attended offered a class called, “How to lie with statistics.” The point of the program was to show how easy it was to do the following:

  • Conduct a survey and gather the “right” stats to prove anything the author of the survey wanted to prove. When motivations are taken into consideration, it becomes apparent how easy it is to build a biased case.

  • Lie to yourself with a poorly formatted survey. If you have a survey that is poorly formatted, you might interpret the information incorrectly. For example, the question “Is price important to you?” might compel you to lower your prices when customer service is actually a bigger motivator for your customers.

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