Pearson Algebra 1 Common Core, 2011
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Pearson Algebra 1 Common Core, 2011 View details
5. Samples and Surveys
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Exercise 20 Page 757

A survey question is biased when it contains an assumption that may or may not be true.

Yes, see solution.

Practice makes perfect

We are asked the following survey question.

Survey

Do you prefer shopping online or the excitement of going to stores with friends?

To determine whether the question is biased, let's take a closer look at some parts of the question.

  • shopping online or [...] going to stores with friends? — This choice limits the options of respondents to only two answers, when neither of them might be true. For example, you can go to stores alone or have somebody do your shopping for you.
  • [...] the excitement of going to stores with friends? — This part can make one answer seem better than the other. Also, the word excitement may evoke strong feelings in some individuals which may lead them to give what they feel is the correct answer.
Based on these points, we can conclude that the survey question is biased.

Extra

Possible Questions Without Bias

The person giving the survey may want to consider these possible alternative questions.

  • How do you usually do your shopping?
  • How do you prefer to do your shopping?
  • How often do you choose shopping online over other shopping methods?
  • How often do you choose going to stores with friends over other shopping methods?