More Americans who answer surveys went to the library than to the movies.
I bet you say, "correlation isn't causation" every time someone posts a scientific paper, too. As if no smart person has ever thought of these issues.
> Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted Dec. 2-15, 2019, with a random sample of 1,025 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All reported margins of sampling error include computed design effects for weighting. > > Each sample of national adults includes a minimum quota of 70% cellphone respondents and 30% landline respondents, with additional minimum quotas by time zone within region. Landline and cellular telephone numbers are selected using random-digit-dial methods.
>results a single survey
Says the guy who uses "Ask HN" for help...
How many surveys should they do?
Are you under the impression that anyone is using "Ask HN" to make representative claims about a larger population than "people who answered this thread" (or at best, "people on HN")?
People here love to say worthless crap like "oh, of the people who take surveys, blah blah blah". Not considering the fact that people who give the surveys aren't stupid and factor that into their results. Such garbage is pure pedantry and if anything, you should be going after all the know-it-alls on this forum who love to pick useless fights.
Of course the people giving the survey know that there is an inherent bias towards their sample. If they are any good, they correct for it.
Stop wasting your time going after this guy, go after the know-it-all parent.
The issue with the account I was replying to is not that specific comment but a pattern of posting in the flamewar style and, especially, of taking personal swipes. That needs to change. For example, "Says the guy who uses "Ask HN" for help" is not an ok way to argue on HN. Personal attacks are a more existential issue for HN than shallow dismissals are, but the latter are also a big problem, which is why there's a site guideline against those too.