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 nonresponse bias because many who are asked the question may choose not to respond.
B
This is question wording bias because the question leads those surveyed toward a desired response.
C
This is voluntary response bias because those with a passionate opinion may choose to participate.
D
This is undercoverage bias because many in the population will not have the opportunity to register an opinion.
Explanation
The wording calls government spending “wasteful,” which may push respondents toward agreeing that it is a problem. That makes the question leading and can influence the answers, so this is question wording bias. The fact that the survey is conducted on a busy street does not change the main bias described in the question.
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