Survey says ...

Had a call the other night, a phone survey by a student at the University of Houston . Why not, I thought - I was sitting watching American Idol, so I figured I could answer a few questions.

It was a general opinion survey, with questions on everything from employment to the environment to the death penalty. Some of the questions were worded awkwardly and it was hard to select a response.

Mostly, I laughed at his reactions to my answers. Is it appropriate for our pollsters to comment on answers? Example:

I said yes, I support the availability of emergency contraception over the counter for women over 18. "All the women are answering yes to that one," he said.

Yes, I would favor public transportation. "That's just great," he said.

When I had to give our household income level (it was an anonymous poll - I answered it), he said, "Wow - that's just great. Good for you."

???

Then - this is the best one - he asked my age. When I told him (I'm 40) he said, "That's how old my mom is."

Wow. It kind of cracked me up. On another level, I wanted to know what class he was in, who wrote these survey questions, how the information would be used. No wonder you can get survey results to say exactly what you want - it's all in the questions.

Our next generation - get ready.