PhRMA, the trade association of prescription drug companies, wrongly reinterpreted a poll showing overwhelming support for government negotiating drug prices, to suggest the survey found the opposite. The problem is not just with PhRMA, however, it’s part of a much wider misunderstanding about interpreting poll data.
Sometimes responses should be interpreted quite literally and other times not literally at all. Sometimes polls mean exactly what they say, and sometimes they don’t. Knowing which circumstances are which emerges from a combination of experience and being steeped in the science of survey research. CONTINUED
Mark Mellman (Mellman Group), The Hill
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