Question

A group would like to estimate the percentage of town residents who would support a teen curfew.

Which statement describes a method that will help the group accurately estimate this percentage?

Responses

Take a random sample of residents in the town, and ask each resident in the sample whether or not they support a teen curfew. Then calculate the percentage of the total who say "yes."
Take a random sample of residents in the town, and ask each resident in the sample whether or not they support a teen curfew. Then calculate the percentage of the total who say "yes."

Identify all nearby towns that have a teen curfew. Contact the mayor of each of those towns and ask whether he or she thinks the curfew is a good policy. Calculate the percentage of the total who say "yes."
Identify all nearby towns that have a teen curfew. Contact the mayor of each of those towns and ask whether he or she thinks the curfew is a good policy. Calculate the percentage of the total who say "yes."

Contact every parent who lives in the town and ask whether they support a teen curfew. Calculate the percentage of the total who say "yes."
Contact every parent who lives in the town and ask whether they support a teen curfew. Calculate the percentage of the total who say "yes."

Take a random sample of towns in the state. Ask an administrator in the city office whether the town has a teen curfew, and then calculate the percentage of the total who say "yes."

Answer 1

The first statement is the correct method to estimate the percentage of town residents who would support a teen curfew. This is because a random sample will ensure that the results are representative of the entire population. The other statements are not as accurate because they do not involve a random sample. For example, the second statement only asks the mayors of nearby towns, which may not be representative of the entire population. The third statement only asks parents, which may not be representative of the entire population. The fourth statement asks administrators in city offices, which may not be representative of the entire population.

Here are some other things to consider when estimating the percentage of town residents who would support a teen curfew:

* The size of the sample: The larger the sample, the more accurate the results will be.

* The method of sampling: The random sample should be representative of the entire population.

* The questions asked: The questions should be clear and concise, and they should be answered in a way that is easy to interpret.

* The way the results are analyzed: The results should be analyzed using statistical methods that are appropriate for the data.