The problems I describe above are not arcane statistical issues. Any good course in research methods addresses them. Failing to pay attention to them results in misleading journalism. The Crimson should do better.
But ultimately, even impeccably designed and interpreted surveys that capture the public opinion of the majority cannot be the basis for decisions about the fair treatment of people whose disadvantaged economic and social status silence their voices. Harvard’s decision to pay all its workers a living wage—and I’m confident that our administrators will reach such a decision—will result from their taking the ethical high ground. Sometimes it takes a sit-in for decent, ethical leaders to recognize where that high ground is.
Barbara F. Reskin
May 3, 2001
The writer is a professor of sociology at Harvard.
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