Pollsters Calling Cell Phones

Some cell phone users in California may have an unexpected call soon. No, it is not a telemarketer. It’s a pollster:

“About 4,000 cell phone-only users will soon start receiving calls from the California Health Interview Survey, an effort being closely watched by polling experts across the country who find it difficult to reach people who don’t have landlines.”

link: Pollsters Eye Cell Phone Users

An obvious complaint will be privacy. Many people prefer cell phones because it is still free of such intrusions as telemarketing calls. Furthermore, some people might object to a cell phone poll because it is costing them, in terms of air minute dollars, just to participate. Then, by the very nature of the difficulties in having people participate, it will be a skewed sample of participants - and not truly random as a good research paradigm should have.

Catherine Forsythe

[tags]cell phones, polling, privacy, costs, random distribution, sampling, research paradigm[/tags]