It seems two of the most cited statistics in the smoking ban debate are the percentage of UA smokers climbs from 6 percent freshman year to 16 percent senior year, and 58 percent of students support a campuswide smoking ban.
If true and correctly obtained, these statistics, which were collected in a Health and Wellness Survey last spring, are telling. However, a quick look into this survey reveals they were not correctly obtained and as a result, are certainly not an accurate representation of student opinion.
Regardless of each individual’s personal views on the issue, however, one thing which everyone should agree on is that the debate should be grounded in truth. The survey in which these numbers were obtained makes a mockery of this premise. It seeks to persuade students rather than obtain their opinion.
Before asking about the ban, the survey stated:
“According to the Surgeon General’s 2010 report on second-hand smoke:
There is no safe level of secondhand smoke. Breathing even a little secondhand smoke can be dangerous.
Nearly 50,000 deaths each year are attributed to secondhand smoke, and thousands of affected people suffer from heart and lung disease due to exposure.”
The statement is true; however, it is also something anyone over the age of 5 already knows. It’s only effect is to clearly stake out the position of ban supporters, which biases the student population and misleads them into believing that there is a “right” answer to these supposed opinion-based questions.
Even more egregious is the wording of the actual smoking ban question, which stated:
“As a leading institution in higher learning in the country, The University of Alabama promotes a healthy environment that is conducive to academic excellence and general well-being.
In order to further the University’s commitment to the health of the University, would you be in favor of The University of Alabama becoming a smoke-free campus?”
By any scientific standard, this is biasing to the sample population. It is designed to manipulate students into believing that if they do not support a “smoke-free campus,” then they are against the general health and pursuit of excellence at Alabama. This bias would be particularly effective on freshmen, who may be more apt to lie about their smoking habits to fit in line with this “commitment.”
That the University, which prides itself on the quality of its research, would approve and disseminate such a biased joke of a survey is absolutely shameful.
There is nothing wrong with collecting student opinions for a debate over policy change. There is also nothing wrong with presenting expert opinions, such as the Surgeon General, to craft an argument.
There is plenty wrong with mixing the two, especially when the selected opinions all favor one side. The results are tainted and cannot be seriously used in any discussion regarding the future of smoking on campus.
If the University is serious about this issue and if supporters of the ban are confident that students truly are tired of secondhand smoke, then there should be no issue with commissioning a new survey that adheres to some modicum of objectivity and scientific standards.
Do not demean the gravity of this debate by asking leading questions. Do not waste the time of students by giving them a worthless survey with an agenda. Do not insult the intellectual integrity of this University by touting the flawed results of this survey as valid.
Instead, work with both sides to create a survey that truly measures student opinion. If understanding how to do so without shoving personal biases down the throats of survey-takers proves too difficult, then seek assistance from faculty researchers who actually know how to craft opinion surveys .
This campus deserves another Health and Wellness Survey. It needs to be done well, and it needs to be done right.
John Brinkerhoff is the opinion editor of The Crimson White. His column runs weekly.
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