According to a ‘Recent Study’

Surveys and researches are flavour of the season right now. Every month, every week, everyday a new study or survey is published in some magazine or journal. Generally the topic of these studies are okay types, but more often than not these are really very naive and surprisingly immature to the heights that one wonders, what prompted the doctor [as no one with less than a doctorate dares to accomplish these studies] to do it?

From finding out the appropriate colour of clothes for job interview, to the food one should order on the first date. From sex appeal of bald men to how do girls choose their mates? Trust me; they have done it on anything and almost everything. Topics which will never come to your imagination [at least in this life] already has some or the other study on it by some well qualified doctor of some university situated in one of the developed countries [sometimes I wonder if they have anything else to do in these universities or not?]. One such study which caught my fancy recently and provided me with the eureka moment of writing this post, was about average Britons.

Well actually it was an article on the editorial page of ‘The Hindu’ [I specially mentioned it, just to emphasise the point that my source is not some junk newspaper like ‘Punjab Kesari’, but a renowned one, specially prescribed to students preparing for their civil service and MBA entrance exams] about a documentary made by a well known British director. This documentary was actually based upon a study which revealed what an average Briton looks like, and the documentary was the director’s journey in search of that average Briton.

According to the survey, an average Briton is 40 year old, married with two children, drives a Ford Fiesta, drinks three cups of tea a day, owns a house, goes on a foreign holiday once a year and among other things, believes in God. Mr. Wardle [the filmmaker] took 3 months to spot just one Britisher, clearly clearing the parameters to be an average Briton. What kind of ‘average’ definition is it, when hardly any one fits in it? Well this definition of the average Briton [the average, which is exceptionally unusual and rare] is a statistical profile which comes from official sources, market research surveys and newspaper reports. Perhaps when Great Britain is not any average nation, then how can its citizens be average? God knows where do these people complete their surveys and researches [sitting in their living rooms, I suppose]?

Well, in India these researches have not yet caught the fancy of university professors, but it does not mean that world’s fastest growing economy lags in this field. We have our moments of joys and surprises, thanks to our hyper active news channels. Everyday they have something new to study about, as in what the people feels about it? We all know the story of the ‘Exit polls’, which every news channel conducts and every time the outcome they predict is more or less similar to each other. But to their dismay and [I don’t know whose delight] almost every time the result is exactly opposite to their survey [I think people tries to fool around with them by responding obliquely to their exit polls]. Only God knows how much truth is behind their other surveys [those in which viewers respond by messaging them and the results of which can not be questioned].

One thing is common to each and every finding, that the surveyor never say anything against their ‘full [fooool] proof’ method of surveying, except for once. Well yes, one day ‘Aaj Tak’ people were singing a different song [perhaps because the result was not coming as they wanted it to be]. The arguments they were giving were, “The result depends upon who all are responding at present [how come only people of a particular incline are responding this time?]? The responses do not show the popular and the general perspective of the masses [or your perspective?]. The responses can be of just one section and can be giving just one side of the picture [how do you know? Are they telling you to which school of thought they belong to?].” Well the occasion on which they actually said these things was, a survey they were doing on ‘Do you want Modi to be India’s Prime minister?’ and over 95% of the responses were affirmative [but that’s another story folks].

Well the point here is these surveys provides a good and time pass read, and in recent times there has been a surge in these so called studies, just because they provide the media some ‘out of the box’ stories. But I suppose these surveys are nothing more than what 5 or perhaps 10 people [and that too inclusive of surveying team] have to say. If they are anything more than this, then they are a total waste of resources, as what is the point in finding out how much time an average Indian or Briton [average, search for whom will take some 3-4 months time] spends in front of the mirror or for that matter in the loo.

Why don’t they do a study on an average survey? They surely will, sooner or later.

By the way, according to a ‘Recent Study’, over 90% of the net users of India (respondents) are avid readers of ‘zhagdoo.com’ ;).

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