Question

A researcher surveys people leaving a pop music program about what they like to watch on television. Explain why the following statement is misleading: "75% of people like to watch pop music programs on TV."

A. The sample is biased because people who attended the pop music program could not possibly watch it on TV.

B. The statement is not misleading.

C. The sample is biased because people who attend pop music programs are
less likely to watch pop music programs on TV than an average TV viewer.

D. The sample is biased because people who attend pop music programs are
more likely to watch pop music programs on TV than an average TV viewer.

Answer 1

Answer: C.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement "75% of people like to watch pop music programs on TV" is misleading because the sample used to make this claim is biased. Specifically, the sample consists only of people leaving a pop music program, which means that it likely includes a higher proportion of people who enjoy pop music than the general population. Therefore, the statement is not representative of the overall population's viewing habits, and it cannot be generalized beyond the specific sample used in the survey.

Option C is the correct answer, as it correctly identifies the bias in the sample. People who attend pop music programs are more likely to be fans of pop music, and thus more likely to watch pop music programs on TV, than the average TV viewer. This means that the survey results would overestimate the proportion of people who like to watch pop music programs on TV in the general population.

Answer 2

Answer: D

Explanation:

The people that were surveyed are not a good representation of the population as a whole, since they came from a pop music program, which means they will predominantly favor pop music programs. If the sample was taken from a more general setting, this would be different.