USA TODAY Snapshots on Thursday ran this poll response.
If told they would be diagnosed sometime with an incurable disease, what adults say they'd do:
Study and aggressively pursue treatment at any cost: 52%
Nothing: 12%
Spend all saving to fulfill dreams of travel, luxury, pleasure: 6%
Go on an 'extreme" adventure or try something they ordinarily wouldn't: 5%
Quit job: 1%
None of the above: 22%
Interesting spread of reactions, possibly having to do with the odd wording of the question. Would be diagnosed sometime? What if I told you someday you were going to die, how would that change your outlook on life?
I have a feeling that people responded to the question based on what they thought the question was--my guess is the "study and treat at any cost" people are reading that they have been hypothetically diagnosed. I'm guessing also that you could only pick one anser because I have to believe than some of those same people might upon being diagnosed with a fatal disease, decide not to go to work the next day.
What are the "none of the above" people planning to do?
And in a country with a religious right that is starting impact our society in a myriad of ways, might not a possible answer be "pray?" Or how about "Explore alternative medicines?" These are statistics I am at least as interested in as how how many people would go to Disney World.
Very interesting! A bit scary, but also funny!
ReplyDeleteYeah, what if you look at the question in the way you say:
"What if I told you someday you were going to die, how would that change your outlook on life?"
Does this mean that people answers are just really reflecting upon the change they might like to see in their lives right at this point regardless from when they die?