Las Vegas Anyone?

Anyone feel like a bet? A roll of the dice?


We kid you not. Universities in Kent, Bangor and Kingston rolled a couple of dice after asking farmers if they'd killed any badgers illegally.


Farmers Guardian reports that University researchers  spoke to farmers at agricultural shows in Wales about the issue.

"... researchers spoke to 428 farmers at rural shows in Wales. Because of the sensitivity of the issue, researchers who carried out the study decided to adopt the ‘randomised response technique method’. The technique involves the person being questioned rolling two dice and following rules as to whether they should answer truthfully or dishonestly, depending on the numbers rolled. The researchers never know the result of the dice rolls, so they cannot tell if any specific individual may have committed an illegal act."

Dr Freya St John, from the University of Kent’s Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology commented:

"We believe this study makes an important contribution to that debate.”

It does? Really? And people get paid for this.