Conflicts of interest: January 2008 Archives

Surveys are notoriously susceptible to a number of biases (or mistakes) and conflicts of interest. The BBC website has published details of a new survey with the headline, "MPs back new bank holiday plan." The first problem with the survey is that it was carried out for Thomas Cook, a holiday company which will stand to benefit handsomely from more holiday bookings. Conflicts of interest like this do not necessarily mean the results of the research are not valid but shortcomings in the study methodology may exist due to this conflict. The people questioned were Members of Parliament, whose answers may well have been influenced by the knowledge that such a plan would be a vote-winner amongst their hard-working constituents. Had the researchers asked employers the same question, they would probably have got a very different response. Not many employers would be keen to take on the financial burden of another paid holiday for their valued employees!