Question
A newspaper writer will write an article about the mean age of voters. She will estimate by selecting a sample of voters and calculating their mean age. Which method should the writer use to select the sample?
Question 2 options:
Randomly select 100 people who read the newspaper
Randomly select 100 people who voted in the last election
Select 100 people who voted for the most popular candidate in the last election
Select 100 people who voted in the last election and are more
Question 2 options:
Randomly select 100 people who read the newspaper
Randomly select 100 people who voted in the last election
Select 100 people who voted for the most popular candidate in the last election
Select 100 people who voted in the last election and are more
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The most appropriate method for the writer to select the sample would be:
**Randomly select 100 people who voted in the last election.**
This method ensures that the sample is representative of the population of voters, as it focuses specifically on individuals who participated in the electoral process. Random selection also helps mitigate bias, ensuring that the results are more generalizable to the entire voter population, thereby providing a more accurate estimate of the mean age of all voters.
The other options are less ideal because they either involve selection based on specific criteria that might introduce bias (like only those who read the newspaper or voted for the most popular candidate) or lack randomness, which is essential for a representative sample.
**Randomly select 100 people who voted in the last election.**
This method ensures that the sample is representative of the population of voters, as it focuses specifically on individuals who participated in the electoral process. Random selection also helps mitigate bias, ensuring that the results are more generalizable to the entire voter population, thereby providing a more accurate estimate of the mean age of all voters.
The other options are less ideal because they either involve selection based on specific criteria that might introduce bias (like only those who read the newspaper or voted for the most popular candidate) or lack randomness, which is essential for a representative sample.