Survey Results Retracted

For John, BLUF:  Distrust all surveys, especially this election season.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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EPIC CORRECTION OF THE DECADE

From Powerline, earlier in the month, and Mr Steven Hayward.  This is about the fact that a much ballyhooed survey by the psychological community, which showed conservatives to be "more authoritarian" turns out not to have shown that.  Small problem with data interpretation.

This reminds me of a survey of a small, poor, rural, Virginia town, 50 years ago, which found the Pentecostals to be the more neurotic of the residents.  Then they had the results re-scored, but without religion indicated to the scorers, and the Pentecostals were those who were best adjusted to their circumstances.  I love science.

Anyway, here is the lede:

Hoo-wee, the New York Times will really have to extend itself to top the boner and mother-of-all-corrections at the American Journal of Political Science.  This is the journal that published a finding much beloved of liberals a few years back that purported to find scientific evidence that conservatives are more likely to exhibit traits associated with psychoticism, such as authoritarianism and tough-mindedness, and that the supposed “authoritarian” personality of conservatives might even have a genetic basis (and therefore be treatable someday?).

Read the whole article if you want to wallow in the jargon.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff