A local baseball team is struggling this season, and many fans of the team believe it may be time to replace the head coach. To estimate support for firing the current head coach, a television news station provides a link on its website where fans of the team can respond to the question: "Do you feel the current head coach should be fired?” After 2,367 votes on the website, 79% of those who responded felt the coach should be fired. Which of these describes the type of bias in this survey and a likely direction of the bias in estimating overall support for firing the coach?
Answer
A
This is nonresponse bias. The result overestimates true support for firing the coach.
B
This is nonresponse bias. The result underestimates true support for firing the coach.
C
This is voluntary response bias. The result overestimates true support for firing the coach.
D
This is voluntary response bias. The result underestimates true support for firing the coach.
Explanation
This is voluntary response bias because fans choose for themselves whether to visit the website and vote, rather than being randomly selected. Fans who feel strongly—especially those who want the coach fired—may be more likely to respond, so the 79% result likely overestimates overall support for firing the coach. The correct choice is C: voluntary response bias that overestimates support.
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