3 ms·

The extrapolation from 1176 is reasonable (I think the error is roughly +-2% for n=1000) if the sample is not biased.. But the real issues is how the question

The extrapolation from 1176 is reasonable (I think the error is roughly +-2% for n=1000) if the sample is not biased.. But the real issues is how the question was asked. From the article: ...11.6% of which admitted to having used file-sharing software So what question were they asked? If I use Instant Messenger to send a photo to a friend, have I used 'file-sharing software'? Is Skype file sharing software? I used to write surveys that tried to get at issues like this (sw piracy), and I believe it is nigh-on impossible to get good data by asking a direct question in this way. You either make it very pointed (e.g. ".. used file-sharing software to illegal share files"), and then few people say yes, or you make is less specific, and people accidentally say yes because they don't understand it. That's the real problem.

pbhjpbhj 17y ago
I think people would assume that it was things like Limewire, Azureus, Napster, etc., ie bittorrent[-like] clients - interpreting broadly would encompass things like email clients, browsers, ftp clients, etc.. I've used several torrent applications .. for downloading linux distros. So hopefully the question was not just about file-sharing but actually about sharing music files that the owner didn't have rights to use. Like you say, this is problematic, it requires the respondent to make a legal decision on an issue which may not be determined yet in caselaw and so may be an open question : can I dl music files that I've bought already on CD for example. The /a priori/ answer is no; but it's not at all cut-and-dried.
Donald 17y ago
A study can be designed to account for embarrassing and/or incriminating questions. Say the question is about "illegal file-sharing" and Yes means the subject has participated in this behavior in the past and No means the subject has not. Under private conditions, have the subject perform the following: 1. Flip a coin. 2. Have the subject answer Yes if they have participated in the illegal sharing of files. 3. If the subject has not done this activity, have them answer No only if they flipped 'tails' in step #1. Otherwise, if the coin came up 'heads', they answer Yes. The true Yes proportion in the survey population of size n can then be determined by (Y_count - N_count) / n.
- anamax 17y ago
  While that "works", what fraction of survey participants will actually do that? I suspect that many/most folks who are reluctant to admit that they've done something won't admit it even if you tell them that other people "will" falsely admit to doing said thing so based on a coin flip. That's completely rational because I suspect that many people who haven't done said thing won't say that they have just because the coin tells them to.

pbhjpbhj 17y ago

I think people would assume that it was things like Limewire, Azureus, Napster, etc., ie bittorrent[-like] clients - interpreting broadly would encompass things like email clients, browsers, ftp clients, etc.. I've used several torrent applications .. for downloading linux distros. So hopefully the question was not just about file-sharing but actually about sharing music files that the owner didn't have rights to use. Like you say, this is problematic, it requires the respondent to make a legal decision on an issue which may not be determined yet in caselaw and so may be an open question : can I dl music files that I've bought already on CD for example. The /a priori/ answer is no; but it's not at all cut-and-dried.

Donald 17y ago

A study can be designed to account for embarrassing and/or incriminating questions. Say the question is about "illegal file-sharing" and Yes means the subject has participated in this behavior in the past and No means the subject has not. Under private conditions, have the subject perform the following: 1. Flip a coin. 2. Have the subject answer Yes if they have participated in the illegal sharing of files. 3. If the subject has not done this activity, have them answer No only if they flipped 'tails' in step #1. Otherwise, if the coin came up 'heads', they answer Yes. The true Yes proportion in the survey population of size n can then be determined by (Y_count - N_count) / n.

anamax 17y ago
While that "works", what fraction of survey participants will actually do that? I suspect that many/most folks who are reluctant to admit that they've done something won't admit it even if you tell them that other people "will" falsely admit to doing said thing so based on a coin flip. That's completely rational because I suspect that many people who haven't done said thing won't say that they have just because the coin tells them to.