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CHAPTER 5: Survey Research 139deceptively simple. If you want to know what people are thinking, ask them!Similarly, if you want to know what people are doing, observe them! As we haveseen, however, when we hope to infer general principles of behavior, our observationsmust be more sophisticated than our everyday, casual observations. So,too, survey research requires more than simply asking people questions.Social scientists, such as political scientists, psychologists, and sociologists,use surveys in their research for a variety of reasons, both theoretical andapplied. Surveys also are used to meet the more pragmatic needs of the media,political candidates, public health officials, professional organizations, andadvertising and marketing directors. Surveys often are used to promote politicalor social agendas, as in the public health initiative to eliminate depictions ofsmoking in movies. Heatherton and Sargent (2009) analyzed survey data andfound that as exposure to smoking in movies increases among adolescents,the likelihood of trying smoking or becoming smokers increases, especiallyamong adolescents typically regarded as having low risk for smoking (e.g.,non smoking parents).In addition, the scope and purpose of surveys can be limited and specific,or they can be more global. An example of a survey with limited scope is aninvestigation of gratitude and communal strength in a relationship (Lambert,Clark, Durtschi, Fincham, & Graham, 2010). Communal strength refers to thedegree to which individuals feel responsible for a relationship partner’s welfare.Lambert and his colleagues surveyed participants to assess the extent towhich individuals express gratitude in a close relationship and their feelings ofcommunal strength in that relationship. The results of their survey supportedtheir hypothesis that expressing gratitude is related to individuals’ perceptionof communal strength.Myers and Diener (1995), on the other hand, conducted a survey thataddressed complex issues of global concern. They sampled people from24 countries representing every continent but Antarctica. One of the researchquestions was whether people in wealthy countries have a greater sense ofpersonal well-being than those in not-so-wealthy countries. The survey resultsshowed that national wealth, as measured by gross national product per capita,is positively correlated with personal well-being (.67). But this relationship isnot simple because national wealth is also correlated with other variables thatare themselves highly correlated with well-being, such as number of continuousyears of democracy (.85).One of the ways that surveys can be used deserves mention because it raisesethical concerns. An ethical dilemma arises when sponsors of research havevested interests in the survey results. Crossen (1994) highlighted this by statingthat “more and more of the information we use to buy, elect, advise, acquit,and heal has been created not to expand our knowledge but to sell a product oradvance a cause” (p. 14). Crossen cites an example of a survey sponsored by amanufacturer of cellular phones showing that 70% of respondents (all of whomused cellular phones) agreed that people who use cellular telephones are moresuccessful in business than those who do not use cell phones.Is it reasonable to conclude that survey results are biased anytime the outcomeof the survey is favorable for the sponsoring agency? Answers to ethical