The Rev. Andrew M. Greeley, who died on Thursday, was a creative and dedicated social scientist who taught economists and others that scholars help resolve controversies by making careful measurements. …
Father Greeley acknowledged that surveys have flaws but explained that conventional wisdom often has those flaws in spades.
“Everybody takes surveys,” he wrote. “Whoever makes a statement about human behavior has engaged in a survey of some sort,” adding: “The difference between the survey takers and the rest of generalizing humankind is that the former (usually) observe large numbers of people in a representative sample that reflects the total population and are precise about their methods of data collection and analysis. Precisely because the professional survey taker is honest about his methods, he becomes an easy target for loudmouth critics who appeal to ‘what everyone knows’ and ‘common sense.’” [cont.]
Casey B. Mulligan (U. of Chicago), New York Times