Advocacy & Safety - Biking habits Survey/Poll (with reward)

A team of students at Massachusetts Institute of Technology is conducting a study on people's opinions on bicycling and helmets for a class called Innovation Teams. We would love to get your input. The survey will take about 15 minutes or less.

I understand that everyone is busy, so to thank the survey participants, my team is raffling 5 gift certificates of $100 value (from your choice of online store, amazon.com, target.com…etc) to the people who qualify and complete the survey. These will be raffled on November 16th and results emailed out immediately.

The address of the link is http://www.halbonline.com/iteams, please feel free to email i_teams@mit.edu if you have any concerns or questions. Thank you so much for your help!
SURVEY INTRO

We would like to ask you a few questions about bicycling and helmet usage for yourself and your children (if you have kids) for our class at MIT called Innovation Teams (i-Teams). You should be able to complete the survey in 15 minutes or less.

As a thank you, 5 gift certificates of $100 value from your choice of online store (amazon.com, target.com, bestbuy.com, etc) will be raffled on November 16th to those who qualify and complete the survey. The qualifying question will be on the following page.

Our survey will not collect any identifying information from you if you so wish. However, in order to be contacted for the results of the raffle, you will need to provide your e-mail address. At the end of the survey, we will provide an opportunity for you to submit your e-mail address or phone number to us. If you are also willing to answer any further questions we might have for you, there is a box you may check but this is completely optional, regardless of whether you want to be entered in the raffle.

If you have any questions about the survey or our project, feel free to e-mail us at i_teams@mit.edu. Also, if you would like to receive the results of the survey, just let us know.

Thanks very much for your help!

I understand that you HAVE to answer yes in order to be "qualified"! You want real research, then don't limit the answers--this is as bad as spam.

I understand that you HAVE to answer yes in order to be "qualified"! You want real research, then don't limit the answers--this is as bad as spam.

I am reading that the opposite way:

"If you are also willing to answer any further questions we might have for you, there is a box you may check but this is completely optional, regardless of whether you want to be entered in the raffle."

seems to me it doesn't matter if you want to enter the raffle, you don't have to answer followups (but of course you need to provide your email address so they can contact you if you win).

Perhaps i_teams can clarify.

Unless you meant you have to answer "Yes" that you use a helmet to take the survey/qualify. But they are not taking a survey "Do you use a helmet - Yes/No?" They are taking a survey about using/buying helmets. So, yeah, you have to use a helmet to answer their questions. Makes sense to me.

If you answer no, you're disregarded immediately, and no further questions.

Wow.. this survey sucks for those of us who have different helmets for different riding.

It's biased from the start--if you don't have a helmet, they disregard you. If they really want some research, they need to examine all points.

It's biased from the start--if you don't have a helmet, they disregard you. If they really want some research, they need to examine all points.

It's about helmet use and purchasing, not helmet disuse.

If the survey had questions like "Why do you avoid helmets?" and, "What would convince you to use a helmet?" then it would be for those who don't wear helmets. As it is, it's for those who use helmets.

:)

Haha what a survey. I wear helmets 100% the time I am on a bike, have chosen out several of them after much shopping around and debate, own 4 helmets, but have never bought one so I guess I don't count.

It's about helmet use and purchasing, not helmet disuse.

If the survey had questions like "Why do you avoid helmets?" and, "What would convince you to use a helmet?" then it would be for those who don't wear helmets. As it is, it's for those who use helmets.

:)

Once again, you've missed the point.

I took the survey and indicated that I would rank a helmet's safety rating (assuming such was objective and meant something) above other considerations.

Once again, you've missed the point.

I don't believe I missed the point.

What is the point you were trying to make?

It's biased from the start--if you don't have a helmet, they disregard you. If they really want some research, they need to examine all points.

...unless they are going to state their results in such a way that "among people who purchased helmets", etc. so that they are defining their variables and specifying who was surveyed.
i am leery of any survey research these days- it's too easy to conduct a "scientific" survey and use faulty stats to prove whatever point you wrote the survey to prove.

A team of students at Massachusetts Institute of Technology is conducting a study on people's opinions on bicycling and helmets for a class called Innovation Teams. We would love to get your input. The survey will take about 15 minutes or less.

I understand that everyone is busy, so to thank the survey participants, my team is raffling 5 gift certificates of $100 value (from your choice of online store, amazon.com, target.com…etc) to the people who qualify and complete the survey. These will be raffled on November 16th and results emailed out immediately.

The address of the link is http://www.halbonline.com/iteams, please feel free to email i_teams@mit.edu if you have any concerns or questions. Thank you so much for your help!
SURVEY INTRO

We would like to ask you a few questions about bicycling and helmet usage for yourself and your children (if you have kids) for our class at MIT called Innovation Teams (i-Teams). You should be able to complete the survey in 15 minutes or less.

As a thank you, 5 gift certificates of $100 value from your choice of online store (amazon.com, target.com, bestbuy.com, etc) will be raffled on November 16th to those who qualify and complete the survey. The qualifying question will be on the following page.

Our survey will not collect any identifying information from you if you so wish. However, in order to be contacted for the results of the raffle, you will need to provide your e-mail address. At the end of the survey, we will provide an opportunity for you to submit your e-mail address or phone number to us. If you are also willing to answer any further questions we might have for you, there is a box you may check but this is completely optional, regardless of whether you want to be entered in the raffle.

If you have any questions about the survey or our project, feel free to e-mail us at i_teams@mit.edu. Also, if you would like to receive the results of the survey, just let us know.

Thanks very much for your help!


Who are you and what is this for?

Is this for a marketing class, statistics, transportation engineering?

...unless they are going to state their results in such a way that "among people who purchased helmets", etc. so that they are defining their variables and specifying who was surveyed.
i am leery of any survey research these days- it's too easy to conduct a "scientific" survey and use faulty stats to prove whatever point you wrote the survey to prove.

That's exactly what I was trying to say!

+1!

Who are you and what is this for?

Is this for a marketing class, statistics, transportation engineering?

Did you email him directly & ask who he is, et al?

Who are you and what is this for?

Is this for a marketing class, statistics, transportation engineering?

Hi, I'm a member of the team that's conducting this study. The study is for a class called Innovation Teams. You can read more on it here (if you are interested): http://web.mit.edu/deshpandecenter/iteams/

Without revealing too much (which might skew the survey results), we are researching interest in and possible market segmentation for a newly developed biking-related product. We realize that some of you are concerned with the "qualifying" question, but we are really only interested in responses from people who have actually purchased bike helmets in the past.

We certainly appreciate all of your constructive criticism about our survey methods and will take it into account when analyzing our results and developing future surveys. As was mentioned by saraflux, we will certainly qualify our results based on the qualifying question and any other results-skewing factors.

Thanks to everyone for your help! We are happy to answer any further questions, so keep 'em coming.

Hey, I wanted to take part, and I wear a helmet, but both helmets I have used were given to me so I answered that I haven't bought a helmet and the survey was over.

Hmmm. Maybe I'll try again and change the answer. I'm leery of surveys anyhow because anyone can say anything they want, even if it has nothing to do with reality. I much perfer obsevational studies that show what people really do, rather than what they think they do.

In addition to skewed results, this is what you get if you answer "NO" to both questions:


Thank you for participating in our survey. We do not need any further information from you at this time.

Our survey did not collect any identifying data from you, unless you provided the optional contact information at the end of the survey.

If you have any questions about this survey or our project, feel free to e-mail us at i_teams@mit.edu.

Thanks again for your help!

I should note that after clicking "NO" for both radio buttons, I was taken directly to the page which I quote above. No "optional contact information" fields were provided.

Skewed and rigged, plain and simple.

I also see they even have their own spokesperson for BF - "milliemay", fufilling the general job of the spokesperson: Use many big words to say nothing.

-Kurt

Hi Kurt,

Thanks for sharing your concerns. Perhaps you overlooked on the FIRST page where the survey plainly states:


As a thank you, 5 gift certificates of $100 value from your choice of online store (amazon.com, target.com, bestbuy.com, etc) will be raffled on November 16th to those who qualify and complete the survey.

If you answer no to both questions, you don't qualify because we aren't looking for information from you. If we only seek to gain information about purchasing bike helmets, we can only get that information from someone who has actually purchased on.

If we had questions about visiting New York City as a tourist, it would be similarly futile to ask 15 minutes worth of survey questions to someone who has never been.

I hope this helps to explain our methods to you a little more clearly. Please let us know if you have any further questions.

Thanks!
-Millie

... If we only seek to gain information about purchasing bike helmets, we can only get that information from someone who has actually purchased on...

but if a helmet has been given as a gift and been used for some time and I'm in the market to buy a replacement, my views are not needed even though I've done a fair bit of reading and discussing about what it is I'm looking for, and have much experience wearing a helmet, I still don't qualify? Because someone gave me a helmet for a birthday gift and some organization awarded me with a helmet for a prize?

I logged in under a new user name and took th survey and didn't find it too unusual for market research.

I didn't like the questions, do you always wear a seat belt in a car and do you always ride with both hands on the handlebar, because I get the impression the survey is trying to identify "risk takers" when I don't think the ability and the actions to take one or two hands off the bars to be unsafe in many situations. The question paints too wide a stroke and shows that the question is in there because the people who included it don't understand enough about cycling to know riding without hands on the bar isn't neccassarily dangerous. Same thing with driving without a seat belt. The survey is drawing a direct comparrison implying bike helmets are as effective as car seat belts or at least the attitude that helmets are as important to wear as it is to wear a seat belt. Once again, there isn't enough understanding on what it is they're selling.

I did find interesting the questions about a helmet that might be heavier, less attractive, more expensive but "safer" (even if the 20% safer than current protection may not be safe enough). Marketers want to sell what people want to buy and usually that doesn't mean a better product but a more attractive product so it's good to see if they want to try and probe what peoples consciousness tells them they should buy. After all, motorcycle helmets are heavier, uglier, hotter, and more expensive but they can be used for more than one impact and are far more effective than bicycle helmets but few cyclists wear them despite their advantages. It seems bicycle helmets are just as or more important for style as it is for safety. If safety was more important, cyclists would wear motorcycle helmets.

...Without revealing too much (which might skew the survey results), we are researching interest in and possible market segmentation for a newly developed biking-related product...

I would hope the product would be something along the lines of a Phillips helmet

http://www.phillipshelmets.co.uk/

about which an article was written in the Economist a couple of years ago.

Dr Phillips has designed a helmet with an outer shell that moves independently of the inner cushion.

Current designs of bicycle helmets are not designed to protect against the most deadly form of head injury, rotational injury, but the Phillips helmet does.

This survey has no business being posted here. There is another couple of threads to post this type of crap. It has nothing to do with advocacy or safety. Millie, no offense meant, but take this garbage somewhere else.

Helmet research has nothing to do with safety? Wow! Who would think?:eek:

One could argue they are testing the waters to see if there is a market for a helmet that would be more expensive but safer. Cyclists clearly put a compromise on safety by using breakable, foam helmets tested by a 6 foot fall rather than a heavier, reusable, solid helmet tested by a 10 foot fall. At what point will cyclists wear what? Lots of cyclists have no interest in wearing helmets, these guys want to see what those who do wear helmets will part with to be "safer"

This survey is not about research for a better helmet, or how people wear them for protection or not. This is simply a survey for marketing.

Didn't it ask if you would pay more for a helmet that had more protection?

Didn't it ask the priority of a lighter or a safer helmet?

Why is it that the Bell Biker didn't take off but the V1-Pro did? Why did the Giro all-foam do even better? Didn't marketing have somethig to do with it or were each helmet different in some significant way? Were medical reports more important in the sales in helmets or was styling? It seems to me a good marketing job manages to sell something that might not even be needed or diffeent than what you have.

I don't know what I think about this survey itself, but I think marketing can affect our perception on what we think might be safe or something worth advocating for. If you ask me, I think the perceived need of helmets is marketing and the job has been done well in the US, Canada and Austrailia but the marketing has not done as well in Europe and Asia. Maybe those markets know a little something that the areas that have been effected by marketing don't.

I think a lot of you are reading too much into this survey. It may not belong here in the A&S forum & maybe the group that posted it should have asked what forum it should have been posted in. But I thihnk a lot of you are reading too much into this thing. It is a marketing survey for crying out loud, nothing more, nothing less. If it leads to the development of a new product or the improvment of an existing one so be it. Why are you preceiving it to be something else? If you don't wear a helmet then don't respond to the survey.

I get the feeling some of you are perceiving this to be a way to get non-helmet wearers a way to possibly wear a helmet or a method of trying to convince them to do so. I see nothing of the like in the survey.

I did the survey & would have anyway with out the incentive. Please don't read anything into this other then what it is really about, marketing for a new product or the improvement of an existing one.

A chance to win. A total of $500 is the prize in exchange for disclosing your identity? I don't get it.

I thihnk a lot of you are reading too much into this thing. It is a marketing survey for crying out loud, nothing more, nothing less.

You're kidding right? Don't you know by now to look for the black helicopters?

You're kidding right? Don't you know by now to look for the black helicopters?

Sure! They already have us convinced that head injuries are a serious problem for cyclists! Isn't that a black helicopter?

I didn't like the questions, do you always wear a seat belt in a car and do you always ride with both hands on the handlebar, because I get the impression the survey is trying to identify "risk takers" when I don't think the ability and the actions to take one or two hands off the bars to be unsafe in many situations...I agree. Anyone who answers that they always keep both hands on the handlebars obviously doesn't ride much--at least not in traffic. It is virtually impossible to ride legally without taking at least one hand off the handlebars (to signal for a turn, for example, which is almost universally required by law).

So, someone who can't ride one-handed should probably practice their bike-handling skills before attempting to do much riding.

And riding no hands is hardly a definition of a risk taker. I have been known to ride no hands (almost daily) but I am hardly a risk taker (never do it in traffic or on glare ice) and I have ridden regularly for decades without a serious accident. Granted, no hands riding is useless for all practical purposes but a person who can do it has a better feel of how a bicycle handles and I would argue might be a safer rider than a person who needs to have both hands on the handlebar in order to control their vehicle.

Internet surveys, especially annonymous ones, are notoriously innacurate. This one is at least boring enough, and is picky enough about the answers, that few people would take it on a lark.

The qualifying question is somewhat problematic. I answered truthfully that I have purchased helmets. However, it is never established how often I wear a helmet, or even that I wear a helmet at all.

The survey is an interesting excercise but it will be difficult to draw valid conclusions from it (except, perhaps, the conclusion that people don't like being told that they don't qualify).

Ah, yes, black helicopters, tinfoil hats and unseen gorillas. Welcome to the A&S forum.

If we had questions about visiting New York City as a tourist, it would be similarly futile to ask 15 minutes worth of survey questions to someone who has never been.


-Millie

No, it would be as futile as not allowing people to answer a survey on tourism in New York because they did not buy the ticket to actually get to New York. The experience is still there, just not the simple act of paying.

Maybe you should take this survey to the streets, you are targetting a very specific demographic here and your results WILL be skewed.



After all, motorcycle helmets are heavier, uglier, hotter, and more expensive but they can be used for more than one impact and are far more effective than bicycle helmets but few cyclists wear them despite their advantages.

Motorcycle helmets are single impact. If you drop your motorcycle helmet on the ground by mistake, it should be replaced. If it is impacted at all it is essentially useless.
(I know this from dropping my dad's very expensive shoei helmet on the sidewalk when I was little. He was anything buy happy and bought a new helmet later that day.)

BMX, skateboard, kayaking, rock climbing and hockey helmets are all multiple impact though.

Motorcycle helmets are single impact...BMX, skateboard, kayaking, rock climbing and hockey helmets are all multiple impact though.

Yeah, that checks out. My motorcycle stuff is only learned via bicycle research and my knowledge of it is incidental. Lots of similarities, but not the same.

Those other helmets are tested by a 3 foot fall vs. a 6 foot fall vs. a 10 foot fall so they don't provide as much protection, however, if you get hit by a classic left or right hook, hit the side of the vehicle and then fall to the ground a multiple use helmet might be better because you get hit twice.

I too saw nothing sinister. Seems like a simple survey.