A statistician needs to survey a sample of 50 people that is representative of voters in his community. He prepared a list of phone numbers of 50 randomly selected, expected voters. Next morning, he came to work at 8:00 and began to make calls. By 11:00 a.m., his survey was done. Don't discuss what is not said. Discuss what is wrong with what is said.

really need help with this one!

4 answers

I'm not sure what your instructor is looking for in this problem.

However, I see several things wrong with this scenario. First, it's unethical or maybe just poor practice to make cold calls before 9 a.m. Second, it's hard to believe that he reached all 50 voters in a two or three-hour period. The majority of voters are at work at this time of the morning.

Is there something else we should be discussing?
no, not the ethics, but from statistics stand point, what is wrong with reporting this as a legitimate survey? i don't understand the question either.
Is 50 a large enough sample?

Are people listed in a phone book really a fair sample of registered voters?

Are phone calls likely to produce reliable results?
Maybe it has something to do with the time he called? If he is calling all people without jobs, then it is not a representative sample.