Some government leaders propose allowing oil companies to drill in currently protected lands that may be rich in oil reserves. Environmental researchers argue that drilling in such lands would be harmful to the surrounding ecosystem. To measure support for drilling in such lands, an oil company representative uses random-digit telephone dialing to contact adults in the region and measure opinion for increased drilling. One question in the survey asks, "Given that an increase in drilling could result in increased tax revenue and additional jobs to the region, would you support a proposal to allow drilling in lands currently protected from drilling?” What type of bias could be most likely affecting the survey results?
Answer
A
This is response bias because those selected for the survey may not provide truthful opinions about oil drilling.
B
This is voluntary response bias because those most passionate about drilling will be more likely to register an opinion.
C
This is question wording bias because the information given at the start of the question may lead those surveyed towards a desired response.
D
This is undercoverage bias because some segments of the population will be excluded from the sample.
Explanation
The question emphasizes possible benefits—more tax revenue and additional jobs—before asking whether respondents support drilling. This wording may steer people toward supporting the proposal, so the survey is most likely affected by question wording bias. Random-digit dialing does not by itself make this voluntary response bias, and the prompt does not establish that groups are excluded from the sample.
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