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To: daylilly
It is a serious issue. However, there are some tried and (relatively) true ways to deal with the problem.

One way is to use a preselected panel to select interviewees from — rather than just randomly dialing the population at large. A panel comprises a large number of preselected volunteers, who agree to be surveyed on occasion (often in exchange for money or prizes). Since the location and demographics of a panel are known in advance, it’s not difficult to chose a “representative” sample for each poll. The panel would include a proportionate number of cell-phone users.

Another advantage of panels is that response rate is usually far better than it is for random dialing to the population at large. Response-rate bias is one of the most serious sources of error in polls & is not easy to quantify. Panels have a big edge in reducing response rate bias.

3 posted on 12/08/2007 8:07:09 PM PST by USFRIENDINVICTORIA
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To: USFRIENDINVICTORIA
"It is a serious issue."

Only to those who give a crap about what a poll says.

Or those who change their stance on a subject to fit a poll, whether they believe the new stance or not.

Which group do you fit into, that makes you believe it is a 'serious issue'?

Or are you just responding to a poll?

16 posted on 12/09/2007 1:20:34 PM PST by diogenes ghost
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