Let's denote the number of people who preferred swimming at the beach as "x". According to the given information, the ratio of people who preferred swimming at the beach to the total number of people asked is 1:5.
This means that out of every 6 people (1 + 5), 1 person preferred swimming at the beach. Therefore, we can set up the following proportion:
x / 120 = 1 / 6
To solve for x, we can cross-multiply and then divide:
6x = 120
x = 120 / 6
x = 20
So, out of the 120 people surveyed, 20 people preferred swimming at the beach. To find the number of people who preferred swimming in a pool, we subtract this number from the total:
Total - Beach = Pool
120 - 20 = 100
Therefore, 100 people preferred swimming in a pool.