Question

2. A random sample of 500 households was identified in a major North American city using the municipal voter registration list. Five hundred questionnaires went out, directed at one adult in each household, which asked a series of questions about attitudes regarding the municipal recycling program. Eighty of the 500 surveys were filled out and returned to the researchers. a. Can the 80 households that returned questionnaires be regarded as a random sample of households? Why or why not? b. What type of bias might affect the survey outcome?

Answer 1

a. No, Returned questionnaires can't be regarded as a random sample of households.

b. Non Response Bias

Explanation:

a. Among the 500 households only 80 responses to the survey. This type of sample can't be regarded as a random sample. Because it is possible that the question asked to people contain any embarrassing information that peoples refuse to answer the questionnaire.

b. This type of bias is known as Non-Response Bias.

Further, Non Response bias can be considered as, In conducting a survey some people did not respond to our survey, this sometimes affects our survey result very much.

For Example: It can happen that some people may refuse to participate in a survey, as the question asked to people contain personal detail or illegal activities or asking any embarrassing information, so people refused to participate in the survey. This non-response causes the results of the survey to be biased.