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Surveys were once a bastion of scientific rigour

Forty years ago, survey research was a discipline dominated by trained specialists who understood the nuanced interplay of sampling, probability, statistics, behavioural psychology, and questionnaire design.

Today, the landscape is drastically different. The rise of online platforms has democratized survey creation… to its detriment. Platforms like SurveyMonkey have hosted over 150 million surveys in the last two decades alone, replacing scientific methodology with simplistic DIY tools. Most DIY survey creators and many survey suppliers are unaware that there even is a science behind survey research.

The decline doesn’t stop at survey creation. The analysis of survey data has suffered similarly. Training in the process of data analysis is often absent, while modern software allows users to press a button to spit out statistics with no grounding in the theories that underpin their appropriate use and interpretation.

Restoring scientific foundations in a fake science era

During the COVID pandemic, the stakes of “fake science” became painfully clear. As the founder of the Survey Science Institute, I observe with alarm a world retreating from the principles of the Scientific Revolution across a wide range of contexts and fields. With surveys, many DIYers and untrained suppliers are even unaware that accurate data is not an automatic outcome of asking questions and getting responses.

From flaws to fixes

The vast majority of today’s surveys generate flawed data. Inaccurate survey data and analytics directly impact decisions made by businesses, governments, and organizations worldwide. Whether it’s your in-house DIY project, a committee-driven process, or your low-cost supplier, the lack of awareness of survey methodology is producing misleading data that steer your critical decisions.