Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Things You’ll Need:
Step1
Find out who or what paid for the survey, if anyone did. If the survey has been funded or sponsored by a particular company or manufacturer, the survey may be biased.
Step2
Make sure the entity that conducted the survey is a trustworthy one, such as a respected consumer advocate group or neutral online publication.
Step3
Look for signs of thorough statistical analysis such as margin of error and standard deviation.
Step4
Make sure the survey was conducted over a broad spectrum of the population, or one that is representative of the relevant consumer type (that is, you).
Step5
Make sure the survey had a reasonably large number of respondents.
Step6
Pay close attention to the wording of the report. Make sure you know exactly what is being claimed and how it is being supported.
Step7
If possible, find out exactly what was asked on the survey and see that the options were presented objectively.