Final answer:
The ratings of television programs by households for their viewing habits are classified as quantitative continuous data, representing measurable numbers on a continuous scale.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ratings of television programs by households for long-term measurements of their viewing habits are an example of quantitative continuous data. This type of data represents numbers that can be measured on a continuous scale. Quantitative data are always numbers, and they result from counting or measuring attributes of a population. For example, the duration of time a household watches a television program would be considered quantitative because it can be measured in units of time, like hours or minutes, and these can vary in infinite ways within a range.
When considering data types, quantitative discrete data are numeric but countable in a finite sense, such as the number of TV shows watched per week. On the other hand, qualitative data, often referred to as categorical data, involve categorization based on attributes and are generally described by words, like the colors of houses or the types of programs watched.