Sceptical of surveys: The Tipline for 4 April 2018

For the second time in as many weeks, Judge Richard Leon – who will rule on the Department of Justice’s challenge to the AT&T/Time Warner merger – has expressed scepticism of surveys. He has asked questions about why people participate, how much they get paid and what controls exist to ensure they answer the questions honestly. Despite that, the DOJ’s economic expert is relying on at least two surveys to prove that the merger will lead to massive consumer overcharges. Today, we have the story behind one of those surveys, plus some background from the Antitrust Division about its enforcement against “no-poach” agreements.