ICYMI: I Launched a Podcast for My Birthday! 🎉
Yesterday I turned 37. (Eek—the late 30s are here for me!) I decided to celebrate in a big way—by launching a new podcast! 🎙️ It’s called “Is This Legit? Research Reality Check with Dr. Kirsten Lee Hill,” and it’s all about taking those attention-grabbing “study shows” viral videos and headlines we see everywhere and giving them a closer look. Using the 5 Ws framework—who, what, when, where, and why (such a classic!)—I break down what the research says, what it doesn’t say, and what we can learn from it.
The goal? To make research approachable, fun, and useful. But most importantly, to do my part in teaching the critical thinking skills we need to interpret all the information thrown at us in this day and age.
In this very first episode, “Is THIS the Secret to Aging Well?” I dive into a Yale study on aging that’s been making waves recently thanks to Jane Fonda and a super cute CBS Sunday Morning segment. Can a positive mindset about aging really add 7.5 years to your life? Tune in to find out.
If you’re wondering what this has to do with survey design, let me tell you…only EVERYTHING!
There’s an entire chapter in Ask Better Questions dedicated to reporting because how you share out your data matters. You can have the best research or survey in the world, but if your findings aren’t communicated thoughtfully, at best they are undervalued, and at worst, they become misinformation.
The questions you choose to ask on your survey can REALLY shape how people feel about your results—and they should definitely shape how you report them.
Take this Yale aging study, for example, they define functional health according to how many of the following things you can do:
heavy work around the house (shoveling snow, washing walls, etc.)
work at a full time job
ordinary work around the house
walk half a mile
go out to a movie, to church, to a meeting or to visit friends or relatives
walk up and down stairs
Is that how you'd measure functional health? If you can do more of those things, are you healthier? I'd say I prefer not to do #1, and I'm a chronic illness girly, so while I can do #2-6, I wouldn't say I'm the picture of health.
The more you know about the measure, the more you might question the results. This highlights how important it is to follow the principles of good survey design and ensure your questions measure exactly what you want them to.
You can check out the first episode on the podcast platform of your choice, or on YouTube if you prefer. I’d love for you to subscribe, share, and let me know what you think! The next few episodes tackle some other fun questions like: Do you raise your dogs the way your parents raised you? Are 70% of divorces filed by women? Do 75% of white people only have white friends? And, Did Harvard Find the Key to Happiness & Health?
I hope you’ll join me as we investigate these claims. It’s like true crime…research edition. And trust me, surveys get a lot of spotlight.
