Correlated (5 page)

31%
of people think they can hold their breath longer than the average person.

But among those who don't like classical music,
49%
think they can hold their breath longer than the average person.

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61%
of people prefer a combination lock, rather than a lock with a key, for their locker.

But among those who don't like classical music, only
43%
prefer a combination lock for their locker.

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62%
of people say they are very good at most things that interest them.

But among those who don't like classical music,
77%
say they are very good at most things that interest them.

You're extremely likely to dislike classical music if you both:

• don't like V8 juice drinks
  
• don't own any leather clothing, aside from footwear or belts
  

People who don't like classical music are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:

• say their emotions influence their decisions more than logic/reasoning
  
• say they would eat a tasty-looking burger made from flesh cloned from their own body
  
• think it's better to propose when no one but the two of you is around
  

21%
of people say they have never been bitten by an animal.

But among those who can't tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi,
39%
say they have never been bitten by an animal.

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56%
of people dislike the smell of gasoline.

But among those who can't tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi,
71%
dislike the smell of gasoline.

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44%
of people regularly skip breakfast.

But among those who can't tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi, only
32%
regularly skip breakfast.

You're extremely likely to be unable to tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi if you both:

• don't have a TV in your bedroom
  
• prefer tea to coffee
  

People who can't tell the difference between Coke and Pepsi are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:

• have served on a jury
  
• regularly participate in sweepstakes and other giveaways
  
• value liberty over security
  

37%
of people have used the word
obsequious
in conversation.

But among those who prefer cold weather over hot,
48%
have used the word
obsequious
in conversation.

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49%
of people are Coldplay fans.

But among those who prefer cold weather over hot, only
39%
are Coldplay fans.

----------------

37%
of people don't make wishes before they blow out their birthday candles.

But among those who prefer cold weather over hot,
47%
don't make wishes before they blow out their birthday candles.

You're extremely likely to prefer cold weather over hot if you both:

• don't regularly exercise
  
• refuse to do the Electric Slide at wedding receptions
  

People who prefer cold weather over hot are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:

• keep their friends close and their enemies closer
  
• regularly skip breakfast
  
• prefer buffalo sauce over barbecue sauce
  

56%
of people think that restricting the definition of marriage to only two people discriminates
against those in polygamous and polyamorous relationships.

But among those who regularly wear cologne/perfume, only
34%
think that restricting the definition of marriage to only two people discriminates against those in polygamous and polyamorous relationships.

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19%
of people regularly wear a necklace.

But among those who regularly wear cologne/perfume,
39%
regularly wear a necklace.

----------------

41%
of people prefer amphibians to reptiles.

But among those who regularly wear cologne/perfume,
59%
prefer amphibians to reptiles.

You're extremely likely to regularly wear cologne/perfume if you both:

• use air freshener in your home
  
• dislike lamb
  

People who regularly wear cologne/perfume are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:

• have a library card
  
• prefer sweet potatoes to potatoes
  
• prefer sweet snacks over salty
  

34%
of people prefer pistachios already shelled.

But among those who prefer their corn off the cob,
47%
prefer pistachios already shelled.

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67%
of people never chew on their pens or pencils.

But among those who prefer their corn off the cob,
78%
never chew on their pens or pencils.

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73%
of people say they are introverts.

But among those who prefer their corn off the cob,
83%
say they are introverts.

You're extremely likely to prefer your corn off the cob if you both:

• prefer peas sans pod
  
• don't like onions on your burgers
  

People who prefer their corn off the cob are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:

• be able to recognize the quadratic formula if they saw it
  
• not regularly wear a necklace
  
• dislike electric toothbrushes
  

When you're polling a group of people, and you want their opinions to be a good representation of the population at large, your poll needs to include a representative sample of people.

Let's suppose that your likelihood of enjoying heavy metal music diminishes with age. If you were to poll only young people or only senior citizens about whether they like heavy metal, you might find that their answers are not representative of the total population. In these cases, we say that selection bias has skewed your results.

Or let's suppose that you want to conduct a poll about privacy issues. You decide to randomly call 1,000 phone numbers listed in the phone book. This will exclude people with unlisted numbers, who may have strong opinions about privacy issues; in addition, depending on the phone book, it may also exclude the growing number of people who don't have a landline telephone. Again, selection bias has skewed your results.

In a certain sense, selection bias is unavoidable when you're conducting polls, because the percentage of the population that refuses to respond to poll questions will always be missing from your sample.

But the effects of selection bias can be minimized by making the effort to understand the demographics of the population whose views you are trying to gauge and making sure that the demographics of the people you poll match them as closely as possible.

47%
of people like the singer Meat Loaf.

But among those who like country music,
61%
like the singer Meat Loaf.

----------------

45%
of people have positive feelings about athletic scholarships.

But among those who like country music,
56%
have positive feelings about athletic scholarships.

----------------

34%
of people struggle more with pride than with low self-esteem.

But among those who like country music,
45%
struggle more with pride than with low self-esteem.

You're extremely likely to be a country music fan if you both:

• consider yourself to be patriotic
  
• have worse-than-average reflexes
  

People who like country music are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:

• prefer tropical fruits to tropical climates
  
• be open to being a foster parent
  
• rather earn more than work less
  

36%
of people have been on the radio.

But among those who have testified in court,
62%
have been on the radio.

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32%
of people say Roger Ebert was their favorite film critic.

But among those who have testified in court,
55%
say Roger Ebert was their favorite film critic.

----------------

43%
of people would drink Tang only under duress.

But among those who have testified in court,
64%
would drink Tang only under duress.

You're extremely likely to have testified in court if you both:

• have children
  
• have ridden in an emergency vehicle
  

People who have testified in court are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:

• be more likely to sneeze into their sleeve than their hand
  
• prefer essay test questions over multiple choice questions
  
• prefer flat-front pants
  

69%
of people are bad at writing love letters.

But among those who prefer credit cards over debit cards,
85%
are bad at writing love letters.

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52%
of people are content with their present financial situation.

But among those who prefer credit cards over debit cards,
65%
are content with their present financial situation.

----------------

46%
of people think clowns are fun.

But among those who prefer credit cards over debit cards,
59%
think clowns are fun.

You're extremely likely to prefer credit cards over debit cards if you both:

• own jazz albums
  
• think that graffiti, no matter how well done, is still a crime
  

People who prefer credit cards over debit cards are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:

• have fainted in public
  
• say they would rather change their marital status for a day than their sex
  
• think it's OK to talk on the phone while on the toilet
  

63%
of people have been prescribed a powerful painkiller.

But among credit union members,
78%
have been prescribed a powerful painkiller.

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59%
of people do their own taxes.

But among credit union members,
73%
do their own taxes.

----------------

45%
of people prefer a vertical tire swing over a horizontal tire swing.

But among credit union members,
58%
prefer a vertical tire swing.

You're extremely likely to be a credit union member if you both:

• are fluent in only one language
  
• have been involved in scouting
  

Credit union members are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:

• prefer banana-flavored Runts over bananas
  
• like Robin Williams better in his serious roles than in his funny roles
  
• spell well
  

36%
of people think couples should use traditional wedding vows.

But among those who don't want to be cremated,
48%
think couples should use traditional wedding vows.

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51%
of people think Mariah Carey has more talent than Christina Aguilera.

But among those who don't want to be cremated,
62%
think Mariah Carey has more talent than Christina Aguilera.

----------------

37%
of people think the mainstream media have a liberal bias.

But among those who don't want to be cremated,
48%
think the mainstream media have a liberal bias.

You're extremely likely to not want to be cremated if you both:

• oppose gay marriage
  
• would rather host the Academy Awards than the Grammys
  

People who don't want to be cremated are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:

• have food allergies
  
• think IKEA is cool
  
• be fans of Jim Carrey