According to Mark Twain, Benjamin Disraeli once said, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” People use statistics all the time to make claims that the stats, in fact, do not support. Worse than that is the idea that they are just plain false.
This NPR story raises this issue with regard to surveying children. Apparently recent evidence suggests that a not-insignificant percentage of children are “mischievous responders” -- that they make up answers on surveys, perhaps from a twist of humor. The story discusses why a few liars might sway survey results disproportionately, as well as some potential ways to work toward solutions.
I am curious to see how the same applies to adults -- do more people than we realize skew our research?
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