The mayor's office wants to know how people in the city feel about the condition of the city's roads. They place an announcement in the newspaper asking residents to email their opinions to the mayor's office. Five hundred people send emails, and about 84% of the responses indicate displeasure with the condition of the city's roads.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is a voluntary response sample because the individuals chose whether or not to respond to the announcement. Voluntary response samples are known to have bias because people who have strong opinions (in this case, those who are more displeased with the condition of the city's roads) are more likely to respond, while those who have no strong opinions may be less likely to respond. Therefore, it will almost certainly overestimate the level of displeasure among the city's residents.

The Mayor's Office Wants to Know How People in the City