Survey: My Health, My Community – Take it now!

That’s the most backward sales pitch for a survey I’ve ever read. Although, it’s becoming more common, this use of surveys to inform respondents rather than to get information. Note the short shrift given to how the surveyors will be using the information, and what, precisely, they intend to improve. And “improve” by whose definition?
They are all in the population management business, not the public service business. While one has to recognize the need for population control for a society to be civilized and relatively cost-efficient, I think the line that cannot be crossed is that of control for control’s sake. The purpose of the control has to be the ultimate service, and means of control not necessary for the service function should not be tolerated. The lack of information here makes it impossible to draw the line, making me think the plan is to step over it.
Hysterically funny (not) that as the onus grows on private companies to protect individual privacy, these public agencies can gather information under whatever improbable pretexts they can devise, or in this case, none at all, and even make the information-gathering aspect an opportunity for operant conditioning.
The other thing about surveys, and all types of consultation for that matter (as we’ve often learned in Vancouver) is that the agencies aren’t accountable for how they use the information they collect. They may get responses that all say one thing, yet go on to “improve” things in precisely the opposite direction. Penalty for that? Continued organizational growth, probably.