The best choice for when to use a survey to collect data is:
B. When you are asking for an opinion.
Surveys are particularly effective for gathering subjective data, such as opinions, attitudes, and preferences from a population. The other options may not accurately reflect the ideal use cases for surveys:
- A. When you’re a sample as possible bias: While minimizing bias is important, surveys can still introduce bias in how questions are framed or how samples are selected.
- C. When you want to establish cause-and-effect: Surveys are not the best method for establishing causality; experiments or longitudinal studies are more suitable for that purpose.
- D. When you have a small population: Surveys can be used with both large and small populations, but they are often more valuable when a larger sample is needed to infer results about a broader population.
Thus, option B is the most appropriate answer for the use of surveys.