X-Message-Number: 27857
From:
Subject: Re: Life Extension Values Clarification Survey -- PLEASE DISTRIBUTE!!
Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2006 17:00:06 US/Eastern
Ben Best wrote:
> The "production version" of my Life Extension Values Clarification
> Survey is now on my website:
>
> http://www.benbest.com/lifeext/LE_Survey.php
>
> I believe that this survey is a good tool for promoting life extension
> and cryonics by causing people to re-think their assumptions or raise
> their consciousness about issues they had not considered.
>
> I request/suggest that cryonicists and life extensionists post the
> survey URL to the relevant (health, life-extension, etc.) newsgroups,
> discussion lists, chats, websites, etc., and/or send in e-mail messages
> to acquaintances as a means of raising awareness about life extension
> and cryonics. If you have not taken one of the earlier surveys you
> might want to try it, but otherwise there is not much point in doing
> so again.
>
> This new survey has already been posted to my website for a few
> weeks and as of this writing has just reached 100 respondents:
>
> http://www.benbest.com/lifeext/Display_LE_Survey.php
It took 2 weeks on my website for my survey to get 100 respondents
and now after another 2 days it has over 150. Thanks to those who
responded to my request for distribution. And I hope that others will
help in distribution by posting to websites, discussion groups and
personal e-mail.
The newer respondents more closely fit the profile of my
Cryonicists surveys than the first 100. The respondents are older,
more male, less religious and less anti-cryonics. There were
10 teenagers and few in the 40-49 age group in the first
100 respondents, but now there is only one additional teenager.
The 20-29 age group still predominates, but just barely. The number
of signed-up cryonicist respondents has increased from 4 to 12. I am
still mystified by how 7 people can say cryonics is "always useless"
in question (20) and 28 say cryonics has "no chance" in question (21).
I think that there could be serious interpretation problems with
question (22). A person who is expecting to die and go to heaven
would have no fear of "re-awakening in an alien future world without
friends or family". Nor would a person who is happy to be obliterated
at age 75. Nor would a person who expects to achieve
everlasting life through vitamin pills without any stasis period.
I have gotten a few private e-mails asking for more demographic
questions. But the most important purpose of the "survey" is the
influence it might have on the thinking of the survey-takers. This
makes me favor questions that probe attitudes and understanding
rather than demographic facts (which are boring questions to
answer). And people simply will not complete a survey that has
too many questions.
I have made a few changes mid-stream. I added the phrase "quality
of life" to "(8) How do you think life in 100 years will compare to
life today?" as suggested by respondent 57. I replaced the word
"endanger" with "harm" in "(10) Does life extension harm society by
slowing the elimination of outdated ideas?" I added the choice
"considering" to question (23) around the same time that I added
the phrase "quality of life". Although these changes undermine the
quality of the results, they improve the impact on the thinking of
the respondents, I believe, which is the main objective. And when
there are 1,000 respondents these changes won't matter so much.
I intend to keep this survey on my website indefinitely, so
please keep that in mind if you are considering placing a link to
it on your website. I enjoy reading the comments, but they will
become unwieldy soon. So I may make it only the most recent
100-200 comments.
-- Ben Best
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