As a rule of thumb, I ignore surveys that purport to reflect popular opinion but involve fewer than 1,000 real people actually giving their views. For business surveys, it seems reasonable to cut that number in half, given how hard it is to poll the right person compared with collaring people in the high street. Do programmes like The Apprentice put people off starting businesses? Not everyone follows this rule. When I questioned the merit of one dubious poll which had only received responses from 100 business owners, the pollster pointed to the BBC’s website and, there it was, informing the country that London’s business community thought the Government was rubbish (or somesuch finding). Read more... ...
Anytime
As a rule of thumb, I ignore surveys that purport to reflect popular opinion but involve fewer than 1,000 real people actually giving their views. For business surveys, it seems reasonable to cut that number in half, given how hard it is to poll the right person compared with collaring people in the high street. Do programmes like The Apprentice put people off starting businesses? Not everyone follows this rule. When I questioned the merit of one dubious poll which had only received responses from 100 business owners, the pollster pointed to the BBC’s website and, there it was, informing the country that London’s business community thought the Government was rubbish (or somesuch finding). Read more... ...