A Note on Invalid Polls

Proponents of keeping “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” often point to wildly invalid and unscientific subscriber and reader opinion surveys from print and online content providers like the Military Times and Military.com as “proof” that service members don’t want “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repealed. What these individuals will conveniently leave out, however, is that these “polls” are not scientifically valid polls and are in no way representative of general military opinion, but rather opinion collections of these publications’ and websites’ subscribers and readerships. Not surprisingly, their patron bases tend to be overwhelmingly older (unlike the vast majority of the military) and overwhelmingly white, male, and conservative. It is, therefore, no surprise that these “polls” produce what educated minds quickly and easily recognize to be invalid and unrepresentative results.