A city government is considering raising the local income tax to pay for improvements to government facilities. A private citizen opposes the plan and stands on a busy street to survey residents with the question, "Do you agree that wasteful spending is a serious problem in our local government?” The results of the survey will most likely suffer from which type of bias?
Answer
A
This is question wording bias because the question leads those surveyed toward a desired response.
B
This is undercoverage bias because many in the population will not have the opportunity to register an opinion.
C
This is voluntary response bias because those with a passionate opinion may choose to participate.
D
This is nonresponse bias because many who are asked the question may choose not to respond.
Explanation
The question uses the loaded phrase “wasteful spending,” which frames the local government negatively and can push respondents toward agreeing. That makes the results most likely to suffer from question wording bias. The fact that the survey is conducted on a busy street could affect who is reached, but the wording itself is the clearest source of bias here.
AI-written and checked against the verified answer.