Done Quote by Thomas Sowell
“One of many problems with survey research in general is that you can only survey the survivors. In other words, if you were to do a survey of people who were known to have played Russian Roulette and you sent out the questions before the time they were going to play and then you come back six months after they played Russian Roulette, you would probably discover that among the people who did come back there was no harm done.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Basic Economics, 2000 (paraphrased)
Surveys of survivors miss those who never return, biasing results toward survivorship.
In simple terms: Surveys only capture those who survive, ignoring those who didn't.
Key Takeaway
Account for missing data to avoid skewed conclusions.
Themes
statistics
bias
research methodology
survivorship
Mood
cautious
thoughtful
Type
academic
critical
When to use this quote
- medical studies
- risk assessments
- policy evaluations
Key Concepts
selection bias
sampling error
data integrity
Questions to Reflect On
- How can researchers adjust for missing participants?
- What methods reveal the full picture of risk?
A Different Perspective
The quote oversimplifies complex research designs, ignoring mitigations like longitudinal studies.
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