Originally posted by sonhouseI believe it was a phone in survey.
Maybe they had trouble finding enough people who could read🙂
I am however not convinced that the result represents an accurate estimate of what peoples understanding of the solar system is. I think much more detailed interviews would be required to get an accurate picture. One question on a fairly long phone survey just isn't good enough to come to any conclusions.
Originally posted by twhiteheadMaybe each conversation should take place in public in person and recorded. That way you could evaluate the person's reaction to the questions as well as the answers.
I believe it was a phone in survey.
I am however not convinced that the result represents an accurate estimate of what peoples understanding of the solar system is. I think much more detailed interviews would be required to get an accurate picture. One question on a fairly long phone survey just isn't good enough to come to any conclusions.
Originally posted by humyProbably even 15% don't know who the president is?
At first I thought this must be a joke but this doesn't look like a joke! :
http://phys.org/news/2014-02-americans-unaware-earth-circles-sun.html
"...Americans are enthusiastic about the promise of science but lack basic knowledge of it, with one in four unaware that the Earth revolves around the Sun, said a poll out Friday.
The survey included more th ...[text shortened]... ers, and about the same number expressed interest in learning about medical discoveries.
..."
Originally posted by sonhouseI don't know why it has to be public, or recorded. What it does require, is the questioner to make his decision about the scientific knowledge of the interviewee, on more than a single rather confusing question over the phone.
Maybe each conversation should take place in public in person and recorded. That way you could evaluate the person's reaction to the questions as well as the answers.
Also, if we are going to rely on surveys conducted in this manner, then we should also have controls so we know what the error margin is. I believe the error margin for this particular question would be very high and strongly biased.