I was in a webinar recently which sited some statistics, and gave details into the sampling methods. What struck me most was their reliance on telephone polls. Not unusual at all, but my brain being what it is, I had to wonder if telephone polls are truly valid anymore. How many people, in today’s age, answer a call from “Out of Area” (a significant geometric problem) or “Name Withheld”? Are we getting a valid sample if the only people they talk to are those without caller-id? Or am I just silly to not want to bother with these types of phone calls? Maybe answering polls ought to be a civic duty, like jury duty.
Statistical Thoughts
