A survey was sent via email to a sample of 200 students at a local school to see what percentage of the students would like to switch to wearing uniforms. Of the 200 students at the school, only 15 replied to the survey. A margin of error of 6% was calculated. Which of the following biases is present in this data collection method that cannot be accounted for through margin of error?
Answer
A
Voluntary response bias, because only those who have strong opinions will have chosen to respond.
B
Nonresponse bias, because those students who do not check their email regularly (or do not have email) may not know about the survey and therefore are not able to respond.
C
Response bias, because those who responded may have strong opinions and will have been certain to respond.
D
Response bias, because the wording of the question in the survey was likely confusing.
Explanation
Only 15 of the 200 sampled students replied, so the students who did not respond may differ systematically from those who did. For example, students who rarely check email or lack access to it may never have had a chance to answer; this is nonresponse bias. A margin of error measures random sampling uncertainty and does not correct for this kind of bias. Choice B identifies the issue.
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