That makes sense[1]. The point I was trying to make is that even if they think [x] is a bad thing, people may still answer that [x] is an accurate summary of re

That makes sense[1]. The point I was trying to make is that even if they think [x] is a bad thing, people may still answer that [x] is an accurate summary of reality. They may be wrong, but even so they’re still not making any normative judgement. The questions just aren't designed to give us insight into any of the things the article and my parent comment seem to think they do. They're asking about how reality is and then making assumptions about what the respondents think reality should be. [1] Except #2. A large percentage of people drop out of PhD programs in America.