#664 Your Opinion

The other day there was a survey on TV viewing habits published that said more American families watch ice-skating than NASCAR.
Why would a survey come up with that result? People watch NASCAR all the time. Millions of dollars of advertising goes into NASCAR.
And that’s just for the funny-looking jumpsuits the drivers wear.
I don’t remember the last time I saw an ice skater in a glittery skintight unitard with the brand name Fritos wrapped around it. Ladies and gentlemen, Brian Boitano, sponsored by Cool Ranch Flavor Doritos of course.
It briefly occurred to me that a lot of people’s only exposure to a triple salchow is the Winter Olympics. And most of the time that’s only because they force you to watch ice-skating while you’re waiting for the luge competition.
So, if your were honest in a survey, you would have to report that you watched, um, ice dancing even though the real reason you were tuned in was to watch some luge rider miss a turn and go flying wildly into the crowd.
You got to admit, luge dudes are every bit as crazy as NASCAR drivers.
So, that’s one reason results of American “family” viewing habits are skewed. But I think there’s a larger reason.
It’s that surveys aren’t ever of everyone. No matter how supposedly scientific the random sample, it’s still not a complete sample.
It’s a survey of people who responded to the survey.
And right there, that cuts down your accuracy. Because it’s only a survey of responsive people.
Now truth is, most people I know are unresponsive.
Not as in dead, as in busy.
Too busy to take even five minutes to take a survey of American viewing habits, eating habits, buying habits, or yes, even sex habits.
A profile of your average respondent may be this. They tend to have a lot of time on their hands. They tend not to be suspicious. They tend to want to talk a lot. And if you give them a coupon, they’ll fill out a buyer’s survey or a diary.
So far I have my grandma.
I wonder if she likes NASCAR?
America, ya gotta love it