Sprint would like to take customers from Pacific Bell, one of its competitors in a certain geographical area. Sprint would like to survey Pacific Bell's customers in order to find out which elements of its service are least satisfactory. Which of the following procedures would be most appropriate for obtaining a statistically unbiased sample?
A) Survey a random selection of people chosen from a list of Pacific Bell's customers.
B) Survey a random selection of people chosen from a list of Sprint's customers.
C) Place newspaper advertisements seeking survey participants and survey 100 people randomly chosen from those who respond.
D) Call local phone numbers and ask the person who answers if they are satisfied with their phone service.

Question

Sprint would like to take customers from Pacific Bell, one of its competitors in a certain geographical area. Sprint would like to survey Pacific Bell's customers in order to find out which elements of its service are least satisfactory. Which of the following procedures would be most appropriate for obtaining a statistically unbiased sample? ​
A) Survey a random selection of people chosen from a list of Pacific Bell's customers.
B) Survey a random selection of people chosen from a list of Sprint's customers.
C) Place newspaper advertisements seeking survey participants and survey 100 people randomly chosen from those who respond.
D) Call local phone numbers and ask the person who answers if they are satisfied with their phone service.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The most appropriate procedure for obtaining a statistically unbiased sample would be to survey a random selection of people chosen from a list of Pacific Bell's customers. This ensures that the sample represents the population being studied and reduces the risk of selection bias. Option B is not appropriate because it will not provide information about Pacific Bell's customers. Option C may lead to self-selection bias because people who respond to the advertisement may not be representative of Pacific Bell's customer population. Option D may lead to bias because people who answer the phone may not be representative of Pacific Bell's customer population.

Sprint Would Like to Take Customers from Pacific Bell, One