I guess in my naïveté I assumed we did that.

Methods and statistical confidence.

I would think the best process would be a combination of phone and online polling. For example, the selection process is still done by phone. If you don’t answer they could leave a callback number to take the poll at convenience or perhaps provide a unique PIN code and link to go answer the questions online. This way, the selection process continues to be a “random sample” rather than a regular open poll that may not be answered by a cross section of the group.


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Theoretical sample and actual sample are two very different things. My wife was a marketing research analyst and she used to hate the inherent data collection problems with phone sampling. 9-5 M-F to lines where people actually answer after caller ID was 90% retirees. After business hours even fewer answered because of the telemarketing hours of 5-8. Weekends, fugedabowit. The data centers end up adjusting the calling parameters just to get a large enough sample and fill the responses by any means to meet a deadline.

Well for people like us who interact with a message forum like this, a online survey seems easy. But for the older crowd, or those who don't like technology as much, not as many would fill it out. Then, when the MEC tries to use the data to establish priorities, some LEC members might complain that certain demographics weren't represented. I think saying "tough" doesn't fly.

When I talk to Captains I fly with about the surveys, and they say they don't answer the phone, my response is, "fine, I do and that just means my opinion is considered and yours isn't". It's their choice to answer or not.

But that still doesn't provide valuable data. Just because a pilot doesn't take a survey doesn't mean they won't vote. If you ignore their opinion because they didn't remember or have motivation or couldn't remember their log in, etc to do a usually monstrous survey online does not mean they will just have to accept the contract they get. They will vote and if you just "give them the short straw" they will vote no. And all that time and money was completely wasted.

It's far more important to get an actual feeling of the pilot group over the ones that are most outspoken. They get just as many votes as those of us who have more important things to do than fill up forums with retirement restoration nonsense.

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Vocal minority? Along with R.O.U.S’s, I don’t think they exist. :)

Scoop

Careful, Scoop. you know what happened to The Dread Pirate Roberts right after he said that... :p

Inconceivable!

I do not think that means what you think it means.