The CRAM Podcast ~ Extraordinary Ideas Unleashed

Can you TRUST polls?

Mary Ito Season 1 Episode 96

A day doesn’t go by when you’ll hear about a new survey or poll.  And you might even be asked to participate.  

But just how credible are they?

It’s one thing if we’re talking about “are we a dog or cat person” but quite another if we’re asked “who will we vote for in the next election” or “should we stop the flow of immigration?”  These are weighty issues.

Like it or not, polls and surveys are important.  What do we need to know about them?  What makes a good or bad poll?  How do they influence our actions?

We speak with an expert on polls who’ll tell us what to watch out for. 


INFO ON GUEST:

Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme is a sociologist and Associate Professor in the Dept. of Sociology at the Univ. of Waterloo:

https://uwaterloo.ca/sociology-and-legal-studies/profiles/sarah-wilkins-laflamme

 She also runs the International Social Survey Program in Canada.  The survey explores our attitudes in a number of areas incl. the Role of Gov’t, Social Networks, Family and Changing Gender Roles, Work Orientation, Religion, and the Environment: 

https://uwaterloo.ca/statistical-consulting-survey-research-unit/about/projects/issp-canada




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