Category Archive: Research and Polls

May 16

Facebook Faces Challenges According to a New Poll

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Days before Facebook’s initial public offering, a survey of the general population gives a sobering view of what Facebook needs to justify its market value. The poll was sponsored by the Associated Press and CNBC and conducted by GfK Roper between May 3rd and 7th of 2012.  It was a random phone survey of 1004 adults …

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Permanent link to this article: http://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/05/facebook-faces-challenges-according-to-a-new-poll/

Apr 25

A massive sample size should invite a critical eye, not instill confidence

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This post is part of a series that considers methodological and reporting flaws that frequently arise in surveys, and uses Travelandleisure.com’s “America’s Favorites Cities” (AFC) survey as its primary point of discussion. Links to other posts in this series are featured on the author’s page. Reports will frequently boast a survey’s sample size, as if …

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Permanent link to this article: http://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/04/a-massive-sample-size-should-invite-a-critical-eye-not-instill-confidence/

Apr 14

Politicians value your consumer behaviors

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Many political analysts predict that the upcoming 2012 presidential nomination will be one of the hardest fought ever.  Analysts are anticipating unprecedented amounts of money will be spent on both sides of the political aisle.  To try to obtain your vote, both parties’ campaigns will likely use targeted advertisments.  Research and statistical evidence shows that consumer behaviors can indicate …

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Permanent link to this article: http://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/04/politicians-value-your-consumer-behaviors/

Apr 06

Who is being polled matters

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With the Republican primary  wrapping up and more attention placed on the national election, people are focusing on poll results.   Real Clear Politics (RCP), a well-known website that provides a plethora of poll results, just updated its summary of multiple polls’ results related to the general election:  Obama vs. Romney.    See summary table below.  Most …

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Permanent link to this article: http://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/04/who-is-being-polled-matters/

Mar 13

L.A.’s pizza is worse than Anchorage’s and why your expert’s survey may be unreliable

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Los Angelenos think highly of their hamburgers. Not so much their pizza. According to resident responses, L.A. hamburgers rank fifth best of 35 U.S. cities based on a report by Travelandleisure.com. But L.A.’s pizza ranks 28th, seven spots from dead last. It is no surprise that L.A. residents are less proud of their pizza than …

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Permanent link to this article: http://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/03/l-a-s-pizza-is-worse-than-anchorages-and-why-your-experts-survey-may-be-unreliable/

Mar 12

Finally! A poll asks the question we really care about

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Undoubtedly, one of the decisive issues in the upcoming November 2012 presidential election will be about taxes:  Should some pay higher taxes than others?  If yes, who, why, and how much more? Until recently, practically every national poll asked whether tax rates should be increased, decreased, or kept the same.   For example, one of the …

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Permanent link to this article: http://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/03/finally-a-poll-asks-the-question-we-really-care-about/

Feb 01

Best Places to Work

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Fortune has released its current list of the “100 Best Companies to Work For”, with Google topping the list for the third time in its history.  The highly sought after honor considers criteria such as pay, perks, culture, and job growth.  The full list can be found here, but the top twenty companies are: Google Boston …

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Permanent link to this article: http://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/02/best-places-to-work/

Jan 14

Get Smarter in 2012: 31 Ways to Get Smarter, or 31 Ways Smart People Act?

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Newsweek Magazine and the Daily Beast recently compiled a list of “31 Ways to Get Smarter –Faster in 2012,” offering an eclectic, “how-to” regimen of some commonly-accepted and other newly discovered ways to improve memory, analytical reasoning and overall thinking. The premise of this list is that if readers adopt some of these 31 behaviors, …

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Permanent link to this article: http://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/01/get-smarter-in-2012-31-ways-to-get-smarter-or-31-ways-smart-people-act/

Jan 04

Misleading Survey Results from One of the “Top Notch” Polling Agencies

Last week, USA Today/Gallup published the results of its December 15 – 18, 2011 public opinion poll.  At the end of every year since 1948,  with the exception of 1967 and 1976, Gallup has asked the following (among other) questions: What man that you have heard or read about, living today in any part of the world, do …

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Permanent link to this article: http://betweenthenumbers.net/2012/01/misleading-survey-results-from-one-of-the-top-notch-polling-agencies/

Dec 30

Americans’ unused vacation time can hurt both employees and employers

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With the holidays upon us, it is interesting to note that many Americans do not take all their annual vacation.  The following statistics were reported in various conducted: The average American worker earns 14 days of vacation but will only take 12 of them (Expedia survey) The average American employee leaves 6.2 days of paid …

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Permanent link to this article: http://betweenthenumbers.net/2011/12/americans-unused-vacation-time-can-hurt-both-employees-and-employers/

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