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Chapter 1: Problem 7

The survey has bias. (a) Determine the type of bias. (b) Suggest a remedy. An antigun advocate wants to estimate the percentage of people who favor stricter gun laws. He conducts a nationwide survey of 1203 randomly selected adults 18 years old and older. The interviewer asks the respondents, "Do you favor harsher penalties for individuals who sell guns illegally?"

Short Answer

Expert verified
The bias is response bias. Remedy it by using neutral wording such as 'What is your opinion on enhancing regulations for gun sales?'

Step by step solution

01

Identify the Type of Bias

The type of bias in this case is response bias. Response bias occurs when the wording of a question influences the respondents' answers. In this survey, the wording 'harsher penalties' may lead respondents to feel pressured to agree, as it implies a punitive action is inherently good.
02

Explain the Problem with the Bias

Because of the loaded wording, respondents might not express their true feelings about gun control laws and instead choose the response that seems socially desirable or logical given the context. This could result in overestimating the actual support for stricter gun laws.
03

Suggest a Remedy

To reduce response bias, the wording of the question should be neutral. A better phrasing might be, 'What is your opinion on enhancing regulations for gun sales?' This avoids leading the respondent towards a specific answer and encourages a more genuine response.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

response bias
In surveys, response bias can significantly distort the data collected. It occurs when the wording or context of the survey question influences the respondents' answers. For example, in the given problem, the phrase 'harsher penalties' may suggest that stricter measures are inherently positive. This might make respondents feel compelled to agree, even if they don't actually support stricter gun laws. This leads to inaccurate data that can skew the results. A remedy for response bias is to ensure that questions are phrased neutrally, allowing respondents to express their true opinions without feeling swayed by the language used.
survey methodology
Survey methodology involves the techniques and principles applied in the process of collecting data from respondents. A well-designed survey should aim to minimize biases and errors to yield reliable results. Key aspects include:
  • Random Sampling: Ensuring that participants are randomly selected to represent the larger population.
  • Question Design: Crafting questions that are clear and unbiased.
  • Data Collection: Selecting an appropriate method for gathering responses, such as online, phone, or face-to-face interviews.
In our example, while the antigun advocate conducts a nationwide survey with a random sample of 1203 adults, the question's wording could affect the reliability of the responses. Adopting a robust survey methodology is crucial for obtaining accurate and representative data.
question wording
The wording of survey questions is critical in obtaining truthful and unbiased responses. Poorly phrased questions can lead respondents toward a particular answer, introducing response bias. In the given example, by asking if respondents favor 'harsher penalties' for illegal gun sales, the question imposes a value judgement that may sway the answers.
A more effective approach is to neutralize the language, making questions as objective and straightforward as possible. For instance, rephrasing the question to 'What is your opinion on enhancing regulations for gun sales?' helps to avoid leading respondents towards a specific answer and encourages honest feedback. Proper question wording is a fundamental aspect of improving the validity and reliability of survey results.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Is there an association between daily coffee consumption and the occurrence of skin cancer? Researchers asked 93,676 women to disclose their coffeedrinking habits and also determined which of the women had nonmelanoma skin cancer. The researchers concluded that consumption of six or more cups of caffeinated coffee per day was associated with a reduction in nonmelanoma skin cancer. Source: European Journal of Cancer Prevention, \(16(5): 446-452,\) October 2007 (a) What type of observational study was this? Explain. (b) What is the response variable in the study? What is the explanatory variable? (c) In their report, the researchers stated that "After adjusting for various demographic and lifestyle variables, daily consumption of six or more cups was associated with a \(30 \%\) reduced prevalence of nonmelanoma skin cancer." Why was it imnortant to adiust for these yariables?

The following abstract appears in The New England Journal of Medicine: BACKGROUND. The relation between passive smoking and lung cancer is of great public health importance. Some previous studies have suggested that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in the household can cause lung cancer, but others have found no effect. Smoking by the spouse has been the most commonly used measure of this exposure. METHODS. In order to determine whether lung cancer is associated with exposure to tobacco smoke within the household, we conducted a case-control study of 191 patients with lung cancer who had never smoked and an equal number of persons without lung cancer who had never smoked. Lifetime residential histories including information on exposure to environmental tobacco smoke were compiled and analyzed. Exposure was measured in terms of "smokeryears," determined by multiplying the number of years in each residence by the number of smokers in the household. RESULTS. Household exposure to 25 or more smoker-years during childhood and adolescence doubled the risk of lung cancer. Approximately 15 percent of the control subjects who had never smoked reported this level of exposure. Household exposure of less than 25 smoker-years during childhood and adolescence did not increase the risk of lung cancer. Exposure to a spouse's smoking, which constituted less than one third of total household exposure on average, was not associated with an increase in risk. CONCLUSIONS. The possibility of recall bias and other methodologic problems may influence the results of casecontrol studies of environmental tobacco smoke. Nonetheless, our findings regarding exposure during early life suggest that approximately 17 percent of lung cancers among nonsmokers can be attributed to high levels of exposure to cigarette smoke during childhood and adolescence. (a) What is the research objective? (b) What makes this study a case-control study? Why is this a retrospective study? (c) What is the response variable in the study? Is it qualitative or quantitative? (d) What is the explanatory variable in the study? Is it qualitative or quantitative? (e) Can you identify any lurking variables that may have affected this study? (f) What is the conclusion of the study? Can we conclude that exposure to smoke in the household causes lung cancer? (g) Would it be possible to design an experiment to answer the research question in part (a)? Explain.

In Problems 11-22, identify the type of sampling used. A member of Congress wishes to determine her constituency's opinion regarding estate taxes. She divides her constituency into three income classes: low-income households. middle-income households, and upper-income households. She then takes a simple random sample of households from each income class.

Researchers wanted to evaluate whether ginkgo, an over-the-counter herb marketed as enhancing memory, improves memory in elderly adults as measured by objective tests. To do this, they recruited 98 men and 132 women older than 60 years and in good health. Participants were randomly assigned to receive ginkgo, 40 milligrams (mg) 3 times per day, or a matching placebo. The measure of memory improvement was determined by a standardized test of learning and memory. After 6 weeks of treatment, the data indicated that ginkgo did not increase performance on standard tests of learning, memory, attention, and concentration. These data suggest that, when taken following the manufacturer's instructions, ginkgo provides no measurable increase in memory or related cognitive function to adults with healthy cognitive function. (a) What type of experimental design is this? (b) What is the population being studied? (c) What is the response variable in this study? (d) What is the factor that is set to predetermined levels? What are the treatments? (e) Identify the experimental units. (f) What is the control group in this study? (g) Draw a diagram similar to Figure \(7,8,\) or 10 to illustrate the design.

Many polls use random digit dialing (RDD) to obtain a sample, which means a computer randomly generates phone numbers of landlines and cell phones. What is the frame for this type of sampling? Who would be excluded from the survey and how might this affect the results of the survey?
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