Forum folk, I need your help (again)

[Chertsey]

Maybe the 52% are regular, even if infrequent, users, while the 90% includes people who remember doing it once, or even those who just like the idea. One question is about activities, the other about attitudes/feelings.

[Dave_P]

Maybe the 52% are regular, even if infrequent, users, while the 90% includes people who remember doing it once, or even those who just like the idea. One question is about activities, the other about attitudes/feelings.

Probably. I imagine the though process relating to the second question was, "I would enjoy cycling, were I to actually do it"!

[MtB]

Possibly people are answering to support the anti-cycling-on-towpaths agenda they percieve you to have designed your survey to support.

Or should that be agendum?!

[The Toad in the Hole]

Ive done it, but as I mentioned in the comments, I think there is some (unconscious?) bias in your questions. I say this as someone who has supervised undergrad geography dissertations and worked with Phd students on research design. Again, as I suggest , you may want to run this by your supervisor to ensure your data is more robust

[Dave_P]

Ive done it, but as I mentioned in the comments, I think there is some (unconscious?) bias in your questions. I say this as someone who has supervised undergrad geography dissertations and worked with Phd students on research design. Again, as I suggest , you may want to run this by your supervisor to ensure your data is more robust

Interestingly, when I've shared this on cycling forums and groups, I've had no mention of bias. You'd think the die hard cyclists would be the first to say something.

[Theo]

Me too.

[Penfold]

Done...My only comment was that the whole survey appeared to be in support of an anti cyclist agenda.

 

Perhaps if you have sent the same survey to forums for other towpath user groups, fishermen,cyclists, walkers etc then there should be quite a difference in the given answers. Interesting stuff....Good luck and please do share your results with us.

[MtB]

Interestingly, when I've shared this on cycling forums and groups, I've had no mention of bias. You'd think the die hard cyclists would be the first to say something.

 

 

As a die hard cyclist myself have you missed my comments about bias?

[Dave_P]

 

 

As a die hard cyclist myself have you missed my comments about bias?

Not at all. Just that the only mention of bias has come from this forum.

[Dave_P]

Little update: I've drilled down a little deeper into the potential bias issue. Where concerns about bias against cyclists have been raised, they have centred on the the following pair of facts:

 

I'm looking a conflict and the potential for conflict.

My questions focus on cycling.

 

Put the two together and you have an apparent bias whereby cyclists are implicitly blamed for conflict. Whilst that is not the intention, it must be said that the dissertation is specifically about the impact of cycling on the towpath and the outcomes from infrastructure investment which was specifically allocated to encourage cycling. So, of course the questions focus on cycling. That's not because i think that other users don't cause conflict (I don't have an opinion either way), its because that's not the thing I'm looking at. For example, many people have said the anglers cause more problems, which may be true, but I'm not investigating that.

 

The survey provides plenty of scope for people to agree or disagree with each statement, that's how a Likert scale works. I accept that some of the Likert questions were slightly provocative. That was intentional.

 

Unsurprisingly, some people I've conversed with have perceived a bias towards cyclists. We all come with our own preconceptions.

 

I'm a cyclist, walker, jogger and boater. I don't fish. The greatest ranting responses I've had are about anglers. Perhaps I'm biased against them? Luckily I'm not studying the behaviours of anglers, even though some clearly wish I was.

[cuthound]

 

I'm a cyclist, walker, jogger and boater. I don't fish.

Surely you are fishing for answers on this forum?

[Dave_P]

Oh Cod. That's terrible. This isn't the plaice for that. Eel have to report you to the mods.

[cuthound]

Whale, if you really must.

[Dave_P]

Sorry, can you speak up, I'm a little hard of herring.

[DHutch]

Done.

 

Not read the whole thread, but I feel the main issues with hard surfaces for me as a boater are areas such as inner Manchester opposite Ashton Packet Boat etc, where previously I have moored and now cannot due to the surface.

 

I also have concerns about an increase in non-permeable surfaces which drain directly into water courses, and it reduces water retention and hence increases risk of flooding.

 

 

Daniel

[MtB]

This bias comes from that question that asserts cyclists have priority on towpaths.

 

In the world of sales its known as the 'slide-by'. You assert something that isnt true then ask people if they are agree with it a little or a lot. By answering at all they demonstrate they have accepted the false assertion.

[Dave_P]

As I did in the past, I thought I'd keep the forum updated with progress. With that in mind, I'm now ploughing through mountains of data and I thought I'd share a bit of it with you.

 

 

It's an odd little bit of data. Responses to the question: "Have you noticed an increase in cycling speeds on the towpath in the last two years?" compared against the ages of respondents.

 

I wasn't really expecting much of interest in this case tbh but there's an obvious pattern where the youngest respondents generally didn't think there had been, but the older age groups were progressively more of the opinion that people were getting quicker.

 

I can think of various reasons why this result came out this way, but I'd be interested to hear the thoughts of the forum.

 

A gold star for the most amusing/inventive response!

[Rob-M]

Are the younger respondents going too fast on their cycles to notice if others have speeded up...?

[Dave_P]

Are the younger respondents going too fast on their cycles to notice if others have speeded up...?

I had wondered that! But remember these responses are from all towpath users, not just cyclists. Cyclists happen to be the subject of the question because that's the the study is about.

 

I do wonder if it's just a general age thing. I wonder if you asked whether car drivers drive faster than they used to, whether you'd get a similar result.

 

A rose-tinted specs thing which increases with age? Y'know how everyone and everything used to be slower, more patient, more considerate...

 

Maybe they were? Or maybe older people just wish they were, and younger people don't care.

[AllanC]

Yes I think its an age thing. As we get older we slow down. We generally drive slower, walk slower and work slower. Subsequently a lot of things seem to move faster although they may not actually be so. Maybe its just that our perception changes as we age.

I can only think of one thing that has actually got faster with age. My wife isn't amused.

[Sea Dog]

It's an odd little bit of data.

Odd or not, it's certainly a little bit! One 'under 18' and 5 'over 75s`? I could pop to the local shop on my bike and knock down a bigger sample than that!

[Murflynn]

Yes I think its an age thing. As we get older we slow down. We generally drive slower, walk slower and work slower. Subsequently a lot of things seem to move faster although they may not actually be so. Maybe its just that our perception changes as we age.

 

absolutely.

 

I used to find it difficult to keep to 30mph around town, and felt frustrated when following another car at 29mph.

now the 20mph limit has been introduced I feel very relaxed and happy to drive at 20 (plus a little bit )

[Dave_P]

Odd or not, it's certainly a little bit! One 'under 18' and 5 'over 75s`? I could pop to the local shop on my bike and knock down a bigger sample than that!

Commonly a statistically valid sample size might be 50+ responses although 100+ is a bit safer. I stopped accepting any more responses at 300 because I would have been drowning in data and would have had a harder time crunching it.

 

The bit I've posted here is a tiny slice of one of my quantitative data streams. There are others. Then there's the qualitative data which is a whole different headache.