Stupid surveys

I do online surveys for OnePoll.

The thing is, when analysing any survey response, the quality of the response is only as good as the question and answer options that the respondent has been given.

This morning’s survey – which goes by the snappy title of JM PL 0603 VK – asked, at question 17:

Do you regularly buy shallots?

My – correct – response was ‘No’ (because I don’t ‘regularly’ buy shallots. In fact I can’t remember the last time I bought shallots, but it certainly hasn’t been for a year or two).

Question 18 (if one had answered ‘No’ to the previous ‘Do you regularly buy shallots?’ question) was:

‘If no, is it because…?

• I don’t know which dishes to put them in

• They are too expensive

• They take too long to prepare

• I don’t know why you would use them instead of an onion

• I don’t know where to buy them

• I don’t know how to prepare them

Actually, none of the above. I don’t buy shallots regularly because I have no call to buy shallots regularly.

But the poorly thought-out logic is that people don’t buy shallots for one of these reasons – and one of these reasons only – and only offers the respondent one of the above *mandatory* responses.

So, in order to complete the survey, I had to give a completely bogus response.

I do hope OnePoll don’t undertake surveys on behalf of the government or any political parties!