Alright, I wont keep on using that title, but it feels a bit strange jumping straight into it, so I'm using this post to explain a little more. More and more details will come up as I develop this blog and this concept, so for those of you who don't know what this blog is about, never fear, that will become more and more clear.
So to start off today, I thought I would do something which I will try and do every week (though don't hold your breath while I'm cruising up the Amazon). Anyone have anything to contribute to the debate about my poll? I will put some points out there, and then put my opinion forward after the poll closes.
The poll this week is: Do you trust internet polls? This fits into the wider issue of media hype, misuse of statistics, and the flood of polls and statistics that drown many new stories. We have regular polls on support for political parties in this country, which ends up making the election a horse race rather than a battle of ideas, reasonings and values. Furthermore polls are just single questions which can be leading, and also are often answered with people's first reaction, rather than after a well-informed discussion of the issue. Now, with the internet, there are millions of polls happening all around the world simultaneously, some on sites that no one visits, and some on internationally acclaimed news and current affairs websites. But how statistically accurate are internet polls when we can barely trust polls from the best established research firms such as Colmar Brunton? Or do they play an important role in shaping debate and bringing public mood to the attention of policy makers?
So please vote on my poll, but more importantly comment on this post about the wider issues that I have touched on, and I will post again on this issue more firmly about my opinions in a week.
