Kleck’s Methodology (Part 1)
Kleck’s ’studies’ rely on anonymous phone surveys. These surveys are known as self-report surveys. Self-report surveys are troublesome because there’s virtually no way to omit responses which are untrue, misunderstood, misremembered, misinterpreted or are just plain lies.
As I sagely noted before, a DGU is a subjective thing; it means different things to different people.
Additionally, some people will often tell a questioner what he/she thinks the questioner wants to hear. It’s not done out of malice or ignorance–it’s just a fact of self-report surveys; some respondents will tell you what they believe you wish to hear. A self-report survey on who subscribes to Sports Illustrated , several years ago produced a finding that subscription rates to the magazine were 4-5 times higher than reality.
Similarly, respondents in self-report surveys will often tell questioners what they they think makes them look good. Example, self-report surveys concerning issues such as seat belt usage or library card ownership often contain large exaggerations. It’s easy to see a person who owns a firearm might wish to place himself in a heroic light by claiming a DGU.
There are also false responses from respondents who may be mentally ill, impaired, or otherwise unable to respond accurately.
Finally, there are mischievous responses; that is, respondents who knowingly lie.
