Jon is working on a city councilperson’s election campaign. He wants to survey potential voters about their opinions. Which is the best way for him to gather a sample?
• Attend a speech given by the councilman and survey audience members.
• Select every 10th person on a list of registered voters and call them to complete the survey.
• Go to a gym during the day and survey people as they exercise.
• Hand out flyers at the supermarket asking people to call and complete a survey.
1 answer
The best way for Jon to gather a sample would be to select every 10th person on a list of registered voters and call them to complete the survey. This method ensures that the sample is representative of the population he wants to survey, and it eliminates any biases that may exist if he were to attend the councilman’s speech or go to a gym to survey people. Handing out flyers at the supermarket also introduces biases because only people who frequent the supermarket would be surveyed, and they may not be representative of the population as a whole.