The survey included 400 people: 200 children between the ages of 12 and 15, and 200 parents of children between the same ages. The overall margin of error is +/-5% at the 95% confidence level. The margin of error among the children, however, is +/-7%, just as it is for the parents. Moreover, the margin of error climbs to as much as +/-10% when comparing subgroups such as boys vs. girls, older children vs. younger children, and married parents vs. single parents. In fact, the margins of error are so great as to render many of the distinctions made in the report statistically meaningless. The following are several direct quotes excerpted from the report.

• Boys are more likely than girls to say they turn to their parents for advice (84% vs. 72%).
• Mothers spend significantly more time with their teens than fathers (on average 93 minutes vs. 78 minutes per day).
• Fathers have a bigger disconnect with their teenagers than mothers. Nearly half of all dads (47%) are looking to spend more time with their teens, compared to 38% of mothers who say they need more time.
• Younger parents (37%, 25-44) are more likely than older parents (26%, 45+) to feel that their career keeps them from spending time with their teenagers.
• Older teens (37%, 14-15) are somewhat more likely than 12 and 13 year olds (30%) to blame their parent’s work schedule for detracting from family time.
• Teenage boys are significantly more likely than girls to prefer spending time with friends instead of family (31% vs. 19%).
• Children of single parents are more likely than those from a two parent home to rely on their friends for advice (59% vs. 49%).
• Teenage girls (44%) are more likely to speak with their parents frequently about values than boys of the same age (38%).

Furthermore, the fact that the study required children to obtain parental permission to take part in the survey may have contributed to a sampling bias, further diminishing the reliability of the findings.

Contrary to popular opinion, a well-designed poll can provide a reasonably accurate snapshot of thoughts and opinions of a population. When fundamentals are not followed, however, polls can quickly become both misleading and unreliable.

More Lies, Damned Lies