A movie theater would like to use a survey to determine which factors are most important to those who come to their theater. Which of the following procedures would be most appropriate for obtaining a statistically unbiased sample?
A) Survey a random selection of people who are leaving the theater after watching a movie.
B) Survey a random selection of shoppers in the mall.
C) Survey a random selection of people passing by the theater in the mall in front of the theater.
D) Induce people to answer survey questions by offering discount coupons for various city events, including the movie theater.
E) None of these is a good measure.

Question

A movie theater would like to use a survey to determine which factors are most important to those who come to their theater. Which of the following procedures would be most appropriate for obtaining a statistically unbiased sample? ​
A) Survey a random selection of people who are leaving the theater after watching a movie.
B) Survey a random selection of shoppers in the mall.
C) Survey a random selection of people passing by the theater in the mall in front of the theater.
D) Induce people to answer survey questions by offering discount coupons for various city events, including the movie theater.
E) None of these is a good measure.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Surveying a random selection of people who are leaving the theater after watching a movie would be the most appropriate option as it targets the population of interest (people who come to their theater). Surveying shoppers in the mall or people passing by the theater may not accurately represent this population, while inducing people to answer the survey with discounts may introduce bias in the sample.

A Movie Theater Would Like to Use a Survey to Determine