Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Women In The Military

Women In The Military
Business Stat
Chris Monsour

1. This study was done by the Washington Post-Pew Research Center.
2. The research was sponsored by the US Government and the Obama Administration.
3. The government was interested in seeing what the nation thought of more women joining the military and how their presence affected combat and military operations in the eyes of the public. Women weren't always allowed to be in the military and the government wanted to see how things have changed.
4. The information on the methodology is included. It was a random national sample of 1,005 adults and the margin of error for this experiment was plus or minus 3.5%. There was no control group.
5. The results are clear, there are numerous tables/charts/graphs, and the written information was communicated clearly.
6. Yes, they are used in a clear informative manner.

Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/01/29/most-back-women-in-combat-see-no-harm-to-military-effectiveness/

Monday, January 14, 2013

Electric Cars Don't Meet Expectations


Bryce Pearson
January 14, 2013

1.     It is not said specifically who the sample is but the article says the “U.S consumers” or “respondents” but then also specifies by using words like “Globally” and “around the world” so I think the survey was done wherever electric cars can be sold.

2.     Professional services firm, Deloitte conducted this survey.

3.     I did a Google search on Deloitte to figure out if they would have any motive for conducting this survey and was still a little confused about what it is that Deloitte does. I found this part of information on a website about Deloitte, “The U.S. firm offers global, integrated solutions to a who’s-who list of satisfied clients. Combining insight and innovation from multiple disciplines and industries, we help great organizations excel, no matter where they are in the world.” Perhaps Deloitte is just testing client satisfaction with this survey.

4.     The sample is very unclear in this article; the only information is that these people were consumers old enough to want to buy an electric car and who had high expectations for electric car companies. Whether there was a control group was also unclear because I am unsure whether or not they surveyed people who do not want electric cars.

5.     This article was clear about the information they did give, however it is the information about the sample that made it hard to understand.

6.     No graphs were used but I am not sure that any were needed for this information.

Author unknown FoxNews.com
Title of Article-Survey Says Electric Cars Don't Meet Expectations of Customers
Published October 05, 2011



Happiness or Sadness in America?


Happiness or Sadness in America?
Kirk Thomas
Business Stats.

1. The study was conducted by Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

2. The sponsor is Undisclosed.

3. The sponsor could be very interested in finding out the happiness of the citizens. Possibly to help the states that are struggling.

4. The methodology is a random sample size of the survey was 352,840 adults over the age of 18. The participants each were from a smaller sample size from all 50 states.

5. The information is presented in a clear manner and really helps you understand what the survey was  conducting and the manners in which the survey was given.

6. There were no graphs used at all but there is a informative table that explains the Well-Being Index score.

Added Sugars Pile Up on Children’s Plates

Added Sugars Pile up on Children's Plates
by: Nicholas Bakalar
New York Times
1/13/13

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/20/health/research/us-study-finds-children-consuming-too-much-sugar.html

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db87.htm

1.) The National Center For Health Statistics filed the report and used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

2.) Government funded

3.) The goal of the study was to research and document the food consumption of a group of people over 24 hours and add all the sugar in those foods to a total.

4.) Information on methodology was not included but the data was gathered from groups of children and they split the data by ethnicity and gender. 

5.) In the actual article the results are displayed in a sufficient way but there is a link in the beginning of the article with much more information. 

6.) Graphs are not used in the article but in the link provided above of the actual study all graphs are presented in a clear manner.

43% of new nurses can't find work

1. The survey was conducted by the American Society of Registered Nurses

2. It was not disclosed if anyone sponsored the research or not.

3. There was no sponsor, but the American Society for Registered Nurses would have had an interest in the      opposite result that the study found.

4. No methodology is listed, it only explains that a survey of nurses that have graduated within 18 months were the target group.

5. Yes, it is rather clear that the result is that many newly graduated nurses are unable to find work within the first 18 months of graduating.

6. No graphs were shown in the article.

 Annalyn Kurtz


For nursing jobs, new grads need not apply

January 14, 2013

http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/14/news/economy/nursing-jobs-new-grads/index.html?iid=HP_LN&hpt=hp_t1


Vaccinated children have 2 times to 5 times more disease than unvaccinated children


Clare Lee
Econ 160
Professor Chuck Stull
January 13, 2013
Blog Assignment #1
1.      The recent ongoing survey was initiated by classical homoeopathist Andreas Bachmair against a German national health survey conducted by KiGGS involving over 17,000 children up to age 19. This survey indicates that vaccinated children have two or five times more childhood diseases, illnesses, and allergies than unvaccinated children.
2.      It is not mentioned, but it’s added that “none of these studies were picked up by the MSM (mainstream media). None were funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the World Health Organization (WHO) or any national or international health agency or medical profession group (http://healthimpactnews.com).”
3.      Yes, the sponsor or any organizations related to medical issues, especially with vaccinations, they will have an interest in this result as it will be very controversial.
4.      Sample size was 11,000 respondents, mostly from the USA. The article does not clarify the random sample or control group either.
5.      It wasn’t very clear. Rather, it can be seen biased as the article was saying, “of course, none of the studies were picked up by… None were funded by…”
6.      No, graphs are not used. So it would have been better if they used graphs to show how much percentage of respondents was prone to which types of diseases.
 
< Vaccinated children have up to 500% more disease than unvaccinated children > by PF Louis
Publication: Natural News.com
Date: June 19, 2012

Snyder Loses Support After Passing Right-to-Work Legislation

1) The survey was conducted by Public Policy Polling

3020 Highwoods Blvd. 
Raleigh, NC 27604
Phone: 888 621-6988

Web:  www.publicpolicypolling.com

2) There appears to be no sponsor for this research; the "poll was not paid for or authorized by any campaign or political organization. PPP surveys are conducted through automated telephone interviews" (Public Policy Polling).

3) No, since there is not a sponsor there would not be a bias in the study and thereby slanting the results. It appears that Public Policy Polling is a neutral organization that is simply interested in collecting data and publishing it.

4) The PPP surveyed 650 Michigan voters from December 13th to 16th. The margin of error is +/- 3.8 percentage points. The control group The poll is a cross comparison between Governor Rick Snyder and then a variant Democratic candidate, attributing Snyder as the control variable.  The same size is 650 Michigan voters from December 13-16th.  The polling appears to be at random, since it was conducted through automated telephone interviews.  At the beginning of the results the organization provides a disclaimer:  "IF YOU HAVE BASIC METHODOLOGICAL QUESTIONS, PLEASE E-MAIL information@publicpolicypolling.com, OR CONSULT THE FINAL PARAGRAPH OF THE PRESS RELEASE" (Public Policy Polling).

5) Yes, the results are communicated in a clear, informative manner: the headline of the study allows the reader to assume the results of the survey and in the body of the findings the organization provides the direct numerical results, the comparison of Snyder's popularity with that of a Democratic candidate's.

6) Yes, there are charts for each polling question that represent the findings in an easy to read, informative manner.  The charts are called: Crosstabs.

Reference

Josh Hicks.  Did Michigan lawmakers ram through ‘right to work’ laws? The Washington Post. December 20, 2012.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/did-michigan-lawmakers-ram-through-right-to-work-laws/2012/12/19/a87d8e60-47c9-11e2-b6f0-e851e741d196_blog.html

Public Policy Polling: http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2011/PPP_Release_MI_1218.pdf

Congress Less Popular Than Nickelback

Congress Less Popular Than Nickelback, Donald Trump And Head Lice: Poll
By: Laura Matthews
International Business Times
1/8/2013
http://www.ibtimes.com/congress-less-popular-nickelback-donald-trump-head-lice-poll-1001516

1. Public Policy Polling or PPP did the survey.

2. The sponsor is undisclosed.

3. Judging by the questions the purpose of this survey seemed to be how poor of a view of Congress the American public had.

4. They surveyed 830 people in a random sample. For more information on methodology they left an email to contact with questions. (information@publicpolicypolling.com).

5. The article seems to just be throwing the statistics at you so it does not seem to be a very clear manner.

6. No graphs are used in the article.

U.S. Consumer Spending in December Highest in Four Years


Author: Gallup, Inc.
Article Title: “U.S. Consumer Spending in December Highest in Four Years”: Average daily spending up $10 from November
Publication Title: Gallup Economy
Date: January 4, 2013

1. This study was conducted by Gallup, Inc. based on telephone interviews with more than 13,000 American adults.

2. The sponsor of the survey was undisclosed.

3. If this study were sponsored by a group that would benefit from increased consumer spending, such as a retail store or restaurant chain, they would definitely have an interest in finding that Americans are spending more, which could affect the results of the survey.

4.  Information on methodology was included. Results were based on self-reported spending given in telephone interviews, with participants selected through random sampling. Samples were weighted by gender, age, race, ethnicity, education, region, and type of phone owned. Participants were asked how much money they spent the previous day, excluding the purchase of a home, car, or normal household bills. The study has a margin of error of $4 in daily spending.

5. The results were communicated in a clear, informative manner. The article summarizes the data and gives several implications that these results could have for the U.S. economy.

6. Graphs were used in a clear, informative manner to show average self-reported monthly spending since December 2008 and average self-reported monthly spending by income group since December 2008 




Can Money Really Buy Happiness?

Alex Dietrich 
Business Statistics
1/14/13


     1. The researches surveyed and plotted 122 countries based on their response to the Gallup World Poll on each nation's well-being against GDP per capita.

     2. The sponsors of the research were undisclosed.

     3. By examining the content and results of the graphs, the sponsor of this study could be trying to show the relationship between economic growth and how it may have a strong correlation to raised happiness within a country to a certain degree. 

     4. Yes, methodology information was given on sample size of the countries being surveyed. 

     5. The results are clearly stated and help the author state a strong case for his opinion on why a country's  well-being can be effected by stable economic growth

     6. The graphs were extremely vital in emphasizing specific areas in the article; such as how the economic growth within Europe had an effect on the countries well-being. 


     Author: Derek Thompson, The Atlantic

     Article Title: Yes, Money Does Buy Happiness: 6 Lessons from the Newest Research on Income and Well-Being

     Date: January 10, 2013




Digital Reading on the Rise for Children

1. 1,074 children, and their parents, making a total of 2,148 total surveyed.

2. The sponsor of this study was Scholastic Inc., a publishing company.

3. Scholastic absolutely has an interest in the results of this poll. As a publishing company, they need to know how to prepare for the future, which at the moment seems to be a shift towards e-reading.

4. All that the article state is that the survey was conducted from "Aug. 29 to Sept. 10, 2012, was based on a sample of 1,074 children and their parents: 2,148 respondents in total." That is all that is written about the methodology. 

5. The article states quite clearly the results of their research. 

6. There were no graphs used in this article. All of the findings were stated in the text of. 

Author: Leslie Kaufman
Title: Digital Reading on the Rise for Children
Publication date: January 13, 2013
Link: http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/digital-reading-rises-among-children-scholastic-study-shows/

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Many Surgeons with Drinking Problems

1. Archives of Surgery, a journal published by the American Medical Association, conducted this survey.
2. It is unclear within the article as to who sponsored the research. However, one could infer that its publisher, the AMA, sponsored this survey.
3. This research identifies a major problem that could cause the AMA to take action in resolving and possibly preventing this issue among surgeons.
4. Information regarding the sample size of randomly selected surgeons is included in the article.
5. The results are presented clearly. However, there is a sense of bias from several independent sources that a larger amount of surgeons may have alcohol related problems from this group sample. Furthermore, within the sample of 25,000 surgeons only 7,200 completed the survey.
6. There aren't any graphs representing the data.

Ethan A. Huff
"Surgeons twice as likely as general population to be alcoholics, survey finds"
April 07, 2012
http://www.naturalnews.com/035496_surgeons_alcoholics_addiction.html

Record-Low 26% in U.S. Favor Handgun Ban

Support for stricter gun laws in general is lowest Gallup has measured
By Jeffrey M. Jones
October, 26, 2011
http://www.gallup.com/poll/150341/Record-Low-Favor-Handgun-Ban.aspx

1. This study was conducted by Jeffrey Jones and associate Lydia Saad.

2. This survey was sponsored by Gallup News Service, Gallup Social Series: Crime.

3. It is unlikely that this survey was conducted with any sort of bias.

4. The information on methodology is included at the bottom of this article. There is also a PDF available for download for those who are more interested in the legitimacy of the study.

5. The results are very clear. The questions in the survey were also worded differently for those who were confused in the meaning on the original question.

6. All of the results of the questions asked in the survey are represented in graphs. The supplemental includes the numerical data for each question.

Brain study prompts a change in neuroscience fundamentals

1. This study was conducted by Maiken Nedergaard, M.D., D.M.Sc. and the University of Rochester Medical Center for Translational Neuromedicine.
2. It is unclear from the information in the article whether or not a third-party sponsor was responsible for the funding of the research.
3. Possible sponsors of the research could include pharmaceutical companies interested in gaining an edge over competitors with less knowledge.
4. The basis of the study is extremely ambiguous as well as the facts behind the updated view of brain signals. The article lacks information regarding sample size, sample selection, control groups and length of study.
5. Reasons behind the University of Rochester's altered view on brain signaling are presented in a brief video in which pictures represent brain activity. Nowhere in the video nor in the article are results from the study or former studies compared or displayed as to reinforce the findings. The information provided in the article is focused upon the comparison of the old and new models without specifically stating the basis upon doing so.
6. The video included in the formal article produced by the University of Rochester does not include any graphs. However, a brief explanation behind the studies findings is represented in an animated video. Specific numbers are left out of the study entirely.


University of Rochester Medical Center. "
Accepted model for brain signaling flawed."ScienceDaily, 10 Jan. 2013. Web. 13 Jan. 2013.

Additional Sources:
http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/index.cfm?id=3725












University of Rochester Medical Center. "Accepted model for brain signaling flawed."ScienceDaily, 10 Jan. 2013. Web. 13 Jan. 2013.

Time more important than cost when flying?


Author: Ellen Creager
Article Title: Travel smart: Michigan business travelers more concerned about flight times than prices
Publication Title: Detroit Free Press
Date: January 13th, 2013
Link: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013301130050

1.  The survey was completed by the Travel Leaders Group.

2.  The research done by the Travel Leaders Group was done on behalf of the Detroit Free Press.

3.  This research could be interesting to the Free Press because they can report to the Detroit area that Michiganders are more concerned with when flights are, rather than how much they cost.

4.  The only methodology reported is that the survey was conducted on only Michigan citizens.

5.  Results to this survey could have been portrayed in a more clear manner, however, they do easily show that citizens have less concerns for the price of flights than they do about delayed flights or timing of the flights.

6.  No graphs are used in this study, just percentages.

Most Americans Not Happy With Congress

Newport, Frank. "Congress Begins 2013 With 14% Approval." Congress Begins 2013 With 14% Approval. N.p., 11 Jan. 2013. Web. 13 Jan. 2013.

1. The Gallup Organization conducted the poll
2. Sponsors are undisclosed
3. Yes, it can be assumed the sponsor of the study wished to know if the current public opinion of America towards Congress continues to be near an all-time low.
4. Methodology is included. The Gallup Organization took a random sample of 1,011 adults in the United States from all 50 states. No control group was needed since the study being done was a poll of current public opinion.
5. The article is somewhat wordy, but with large text at the top of the page summarizing the article and the use of graphs, the information was communicated well.
6. Graphs are used and are used in an informative matter.

iPhone vs Android, Battle At The Food Courts


Survey: iPhone retention 94% vs. Android 47%

Finds high pent up demand for iPhone 5 among Verizon subscribers and Android owners



1. This survey was done on: 216 mobile phone users conduced one recent week in Minneapolis in "food courts" near the entrance of the baseball stadium on game day.

2. This article does not state who sponsored the research.

3. Those conducting the survey could be looking to boost marketing towards a certain smartphone, although with the small sample and attempt at random questioning it would be difficult.

4. The methodology is presented within the article. This table given illustrates the breakdown of who was questioned and how they answered. There is not a control group, but for this study those asked could be said to be randomly chosen.


5.The results are displayed clearly in the table above, how each person answered.

6. Yes the graphs are presented in a clear manner. 

 Philip Elmer-DeWitt August 1, 2011: 8:14 AM 

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/08/01/survey-iphone-retention-94-vs-android-47/

Alex Ducoffe

American Universities with a downturn

Andrew Martin
Down Turn Still Squeezes Colleges and Universities
New York Times, Business Day
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/11/business/colleges-expect-lower-enrollment.html?ref=education&_r=0


1. The survey was done by Moody's Investors service. 

2. It is undisclosed about if there were investors in the survey or if moody's provided the funds themselves.

3. Yes, I believe that if there is a sponsor they would like to know the relations of graduates and why so many students graduating from high school are not going to college. 

4. The methodology is widely talked about within the article. The author gives descriptive information about what types of colleges were targeted. 

5. Yes, the results were communicated very well. It shows that from the survey students are having tougher times in the economy and that less and less students are going to college because of the prices. 

6. There is one graph and it is nicely placed on the side of the article, is referenced and shows clearly that colleges expect less enrollment rates. 

45% of Americans would prefer to skip Christmas


Melissa Acosta
Business Statistics
January 10, 2013

1.    Think Finance surveyed 1,000 Americans across all income levels who use various forms of alternative financial services — including payday loans, prepaid debit cards and direct deposit advances.
2.    Think Finance, a provider of payday loans and other financial services for consumers with limited or no access to banking services.
3.    Think Finance makes money off people needing loans or other financial support services so finding out how the holiday season is going to affect people negatively, is a good indicator in seeing how their business will do during that time and years to come. They would definitely be interested in conducting these surveys.
4.    The sample size is included and how they chose to pick their sample people. However, I do not see a control group in this study due to the fact that everyone they surveyed obviously needed financial help this holiday season which makes their results a little biased. The title of the article is also a bit misleading because the sample group used does not represent all the American population.
5.    The information was clear for the most part but I think some parts could have been explained better. There was a lot going on in this article that could have perhaps been either cut out or limited, too many results causes confusion.
6.    There were no graphs used in this article which I think was a mistake. Graphs are easily read by people who need visuals.

Author: Christina Cheddar Berk , CNBC


Publication Title: NBC Business

Date: November 21, 2012

A Reason for Economic Optimism?

The Economist: Has the ideas machine broken down?
Author Unlisted
Jan 12th 2013

1. The article cited several sources of statistics including: the University of Chicago, University of Groningen and the OECD.  

2. The sponsors of the research were undisclosed.

3. Given that there were several different studies reported, it is unlikely that the report of the data was swayed by hopes of a particular result. However, selective reporting of the data could have made for a more interesting piece, so the data should be analyzed with skepticism.   

4. The methodology was not given.

5. The results were reported clearly and coupled well with the article's text. 

6. The graphs were the main component of the statistics and were reported effectively, logically fitting within the varying points of the article. 

Just How Effective is the Flu Vaccine?

CDC: Flu vaccine 63% effective; 47% States report widespread illness
By: Ryan Jaslow
CBS News
January 11, 2013
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57563507/cdc-flu-vaccine-62-effective-47-states-report-widespread-illness/

1. The article used statistics gathered by the Center for Disease Control.

2. There is no named sponsor although the CDC, as a governmental entity, receives government funding. The article was published by CBS News.

3. The CDC would be interested in finding a result that would effectively present the current wellbeing of the nation and the benefits and risks of certain vaccines.

4. The CDC uses information gathered from doctors offices and hospitals about the number and severity of various cases of, in this case, the flu.

5. The results are clearly communicated, including a definition of the effectiveness of the vaccine. The vaccine is considered effective is one does not have symptoms or have to go to a doctor or hospital for their symptoms.

6. There were no graphs accompanying this report.

Benefits of College Degree in Recession

Lucas Eshuis

Dr. Chuck Stull

Business Statistics



1. Analysis for How Much Protection Does A College Degree Afford? was conducted by David B. Grusky, Beth Red Bird, Natassia Rodriguez, and Christopher Wimer of the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality.

2. The study was published by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

3. I don't really think the publishers had an interest in finding a particular result in this study.

4. There is some information given on the methodology used. It say the data was taken from the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey and looked at employment of 21-24 year olds in the two and a half years before the 2007-2009 recession, during it, and in the two and a half years after it. However, it does not give specifics on how big the sample was, or if there was a margin of error.

5. Yes, the results were communicated in a clear and informative manner.

6. There is one graph used and it effectively shows the results of the study.








Author: Richard Perez Pena
Article Title: Study Shows College Degree's Benefits During Economic Downturn
Publication Title: NY Times
Date: January 9, 2013
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/education/study-shows-college-degrees-value-during-economic-downturn.html




Congress Less Popular Than Nickelback

Congress Less Popular Than Nickelback, Donald Trump, And Head Lice: Poll
by: Laura Matthews
International Business Times
1/8/2013

http://www.ibtimes.com/congress-less-popular-nickelback-donald-trump-head-lice-poll-1001516

1. Public Policy Polling (PPP) took an interview survey done by Tom Jensen.

2. They did not disclose who sponsored the research.

3. Again the sponsor was not disclosed, however judging by the questions that they asked the point of this survey was to show how poor of a view the American people have of Congress.

4. They surveyed 830 people. Other methodology information was not disclosed, but they left an email for people who had questions about methodology (information@publicpolicypolling.com

5. No, there are no graphs and you have to really read into the article to find the information.

6. No, there are no graphs in the article.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Cost of Renovating A Large Kitchen


Cooking in the Bayou
Katy McLaughlin
The Wall Street Journal
January 11, 2013

1. The journalist contacted a New Orleans-based construction company to estimate the cost of creating a kitchen like the one she was discussing in her article. The company then analyzed pictures of the kitchen in question and other similar projects to come up with estimated costs of each component of construction and a total cost.

2. The research was done by the vice president of Landis Construction.

3. The vice president of the construction company would definitely have an interest in the topic of renovation costs. The kitchen in the article was very professionally done and would be an excellent model for any future renovations. Also getting an accurate cost would be a good determinate of whether or not the company could handle a project of that magnitude.

4. There is no methodology given to explain how the results were given, except that there were a certain amount of photographs and blueprints analyzed.

5. The results are quite clearly laid out. The prices of each component of the renovation are given a large dollar amount in a list with the total given at the bottom.

6.The graph given is very simple list with the category and price easily seen.

One in three U.S. workers has no paid sick days

One in three U.S. workers has no paid sick days

Bureau of Labor Statistics

2. The US government by way of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

3. They didn't fund the study hoping for a specific result but rather to gather the relevant data and use it to best prevent the spreed of disease, and potentially lead to political change.

4.  No information on methodology is included.

5. Yes, the results are broken into informative groups and results from similar studies are well laid out in the article.

6. No graphs were used.

Nick Wood