Wrong results from non-scientific research methods

At the film festival across the United States, a documentary called 'American Beauty' is shown, about the influence of pop culture and the fashion industry on the American perspective on beauty.

The filmmaker Darryl Roberts had an idea for this movie when he conducted a random survey on Chicago street. He asked 200 women if they felt attractive, only 2 of them answered 'yes'. In an interview with 'New York Sun' about the film, Robert said, 'Nothing is complicated. I calculated that if 198 women answered 'no', then 99% of women feel they are not attractive '. And from that unexpected discovery, he was thinking of making a documentary to find out what caused that thought.

Obviously, Robert's intention is fine but there is a problem: his data is not accurate.

In fact, studies have shown that 90% of women feel satisfied with their appearance and most think they are more attractive than normal. In 1998, ' Weekend America' (USA Weekend) conducted a survey with more than 25,000 young people, mostly female. As a result, 95% of them feel pretty good about themselves. In 2000, the UK Medical Association also released a report on erratic eating habits and a film concluded that 'most young girls (83%) are confident about themselves. Relative way " . And the survey of 3200 women by Professor Nancy Etcoff, Harvard University in the report " The Truth of Beauty " in 2004 also showed that most women believe their weight They are just enough and 88% think their appeal is relative.

So what happened? Why did Roberts's survey give the exact opposite result? That answer is due to Roberts' unsatisfactory research methodology.

Investigation is not correct method

Simply put, it is simple to ask someone about a specific topic: you just need to ask them, that's it. But that is wrong. Think of a more scientific way of investigating. That is why the survey companies have to spend millions of dollars to get accurate results about what people think, what people believe or what products they buy, Why did they choose that product, who would they vote for, etc. If you are not professional, it is difficult to have accurate investigation results.The answer you get in the survey depends largely on who is asked, and in what circumstances they are asked, with questions.

What led to the mistake of an investigation

Firstly, the problem arises from what psychologists often call downstream reactions, which are simply understood to mean that people often tend to answer what the researcher or questioner wants. hearing from them is not really what the respondents really think. Therefore, for example, if Robert said, 'I am making a documentary about the bad influence of the fashion industry on women who are not confident about their looks.' With such an introduction, he will almost certainly get the answer 'no' when asking people that 'Do you feel attractive?'

Without considering that reason, how many of us, regardless of gender or gender, will answer others whether we find ourselves attractive when we are on the road like that?A woman may accept that she is not attractive at all, but that is when they are rushing to the subway station to go home after a hard day's work. Just a few hours later, when they went out to dinner in a gorgeous dress, the result would be different. If Roberts asked a person walking on the road, in front of a weight clinic, he would probably get a different answer than asking a woman who had just walked out of the gym or aesthetically. institute. Roberts' amateur survey has made a serious mistake and led to a documentary explaining the wrong result.

Investigation of Nazi massacre of the Nazis

One of the examples of fatal mistakes in those surveys was the 1992 survey of the Roper organization for Jews in the United States. The results of this investigation show that one in five Americans suspects that the massacre of Jews at the time of Hilter had occurred. Why can't 22% of Americans believe in this massacre? The answer became clear when people rechecked the original question that was asked in that survey: 'In your opinion it may or may not be that the Nazis' massacre of Jews has not now happen? ' This question has twice the negation that leads to mixed understanding and consequently the report goes against what they believe and anticipate. The people in charge of the Roper organization shyly apologized for this. The next time they made the question more rigorous, clearer and unambiguous like the last time. Accordingly, only 2% of Americans were skeptical about the massacre.

Surveys and surveys can provide important information about public beliefs but they must be done based on the right methods, solid foundations. Consumers should look for information on sample prices, ie whether the sample is selected in a random or determined manner or in any other way, it must be representative, representative. However, to conduct a scientific and accurate investigation is not simple at all.

Research has the right method? (Photo: mastersofmedia.hum.uva.nl)