Question

Without looking, Ernest flipped to a page in the phone book and called a number from that page. Repeating that approach, he called 213 phone numbers from the phone book Is this sample of the phone numbers in the phone book likely to be biased?

Answer 1

Yes, the sample of phone numbers in the phone book is likely to be biased due to several factors such as not everyone having a telephone, cell phone numbers not being listed in published directories, and individuals not being at home during the phone call.

Step-by-step explanation:

Yes, the sample of phone numbers in the phone book is likely to be biased. There are several potential sources of bias in this situation:

1. Not everyone has a telephone, so the sample will not include those without a phone.
2. Cell phone numbers are often not listed in published directories, so the sample will not include those who only have a cell phone.
3. An individual might not be at home at the time of the phone call, leading to a biased sample of people who are more likely to be at home during the day.

These factors make it likely that the respondents to the survey will not be representative of the population as a whole.