[innocentfelon]

The biggest flaw in this study has gone unmentioned: smokers lie.

No one’s following these kids around to verify their responses are accurate. A sizable percentage of high school kids lie about anything for any number of reasons. Yeah man, I vape, can I go now? Yeah man, I smoke, are we done?

That alone is plenty to throw out this data. The agenda here is clear: more research funding to justify harebrained regulations supported by halfassed written surveys.

[minikites]

So we shouldn't research anything related to the social sciences because some people might lie about it? What leads you to believe that smokers lie more than nonsmokers if not social science research?

[innocentfelon]

The term for this situation is ”streetlighting”, where the possible reigns over the correct.

“It’s dark in that alley. I’d never find my keys there.”

Doesn’t matter if it’s extremely difficult to get good data here. What matters is we can’t substitute bad data if that’s all we can come up with.

And although I stated it as smokers lying, the implication is that the nonsmokers are lying (by claiming to smoke).

[sigmaprimus]

It is my understanding that most surveys will include a margin of error. This story does not mention this, I wonder if this is just slight of hand while the east coast of the US falls into the sea?!

[sigmaprimus]

Or maybe the cable news sites are distracting me from this?!?