A study isn’t “worthless” because it’s incomplete

Source: Expression
by Samuel J Abrams

“The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) recently released a study by David Primo measuring faculty viewpoint diversity through campaign-contribution data. The average faculty donor scored only slightly to the right of progressives like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. The findings and criticism traveled quickly. John K. Wilson, writing in Inside Higher Ed, pronounced the study ‘worthless’ because most faculty never make campaign contributions, so a sample of donors cannot describe the average professor. On the narrow point he is right: a sample of donors is not a sample of all faculty. ‘Worthless’ is a serious conclusion — a verdict that, applied consistently, would discard nearly every measure we have.” (06/09/26)

https://expression.fire.org/p/a-study-isnt-worthless-because-its