Based on your data analysis, you find that 33% of whites in your sample have never had an interaction with the police compared to 10% of Latinx respondents. Why would it be misleading to end the analysis with this information?
A) You need to know the level of measurement for these variables.
B) You need to know the percentage of whites and Latinx respondents in the overall population.
C) You need to use qualitative methods to understand this phenomenon.
D) None of these.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Without knowing the percentage of whites and Latinx respondents in the overall population, we cannot make any inferences about the broader population. For example, if the sample had a disproportionate number of Latinx respondents compared to the overall population, then the 10% figure may be an overestimate of the true percentage of Latinx respondents who have never had an interaction with the police. Likewise, if the sample had a disproportionate number of white respondents, then the 33% figure may be an overestimate of the true percentage of whites who have never had an interaction with the police. Therefore, knowing the underlying demographics of the sample is critical for understanding the validity and generalizability of the findings.

Based on Your Data Analysis, You Find That 33% of Whites