All research has bias. Here’s why that’s no big deal.
Nothing is perfect, but a piece of research can have more bias or less bias.
A friend and I got into a little discussion on Facebook about race. Usually I only use Facebook to post pictures from my garden, or Oregon scenery, or family events, or to celebrate when my team wins the big game. But sometimes I get into social or political discussions.
Anyhow, my friend, likely quoting some other source, pointed out there are great limits on how we can study issues of race in our society, because any research on this topic would have bias. So, in fact, maybe it’s impossible to make confident assertions about the issue of race. Any research presented would be too tainted to be acceptable. He wrote: “It's impossible to study or observe [the issue of race] without bias. Studies or experimentation can be neither valid nor reliable when bias is employed.” (The quote said “employed” but I think the writer meant “present.”)
Here's what I wrote in reply:
“You don't think there's any data to support the idea that much racism still exists in our society? In studying social systems there is always some measure of bias, but the amount of bias can be greater or lesser depending on the research methodology and approach. Nothing is 100% bias-free, sure, but good research allows for the level of bias to be so low that it should not be an obstacle to acceptance of a theory.”
Good, reasonable person that he is, my friend thanked me for my response and asked further questions. As part of my reply I said:
“Take this - both woman and men in our society get raped. Is rape a greater danger for men or for women? There is no way to study that question that is 100% free of bias. But the statistical evidence is overwhelming, that women are in greater danger of being raped. So it rises above the level of a mere hypothesis, right? Now, apply that kind of approach to the treatment of Blacks in American society. What do the comparative statistics tell us?”
So yes, all research has bias, but it can have less bias or more bias depending on the methods, and other mechanisms that help insure objectivity. There’s plenty of very good research out there, on all social and political topics, that is well enough clean of bias to be valuable, useful, and reliable.
love, joy, peace … Michael
www.michaeljaffarian.com. I’m a freelance consultant to nonprofits, with an emphasis on research. I’m keen to learn about your organization, and you might be interested in learning more about what I do. Let’s have a conversation. Write to me, people! emichaeljaffarian@gmail.com.
Vol. 1 No. 51