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Chapter 8: Problem 48

Your Own Bad Questions. Write your own examples of bad sample survey questions. a. Write a biased question designed to get one answer rather than another. b. Write the "same question" in two different ways to get different responses. c. Write a question to which many people may not give truthful answers.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Biased and poorly phrased questions lead to unreliable survey results.

Step by step solution

01

Crafting a Biased Question

To create a biased question, think of wording that leads respondents toward a particular response. For example: 'Don't you agree that the new park will significantly improve our community?' This question is biased because it uses 'don't you agree,' leading the respondent towards a positive response.
02

Rephrasing for Different Responses

Choose a question topic, then rephrase the same question in two ways to illustrate how wording can elicit different responses. For example: 1) 'How satisfied are you with the trash collection services in your neighborhood?' versus 2) 'How dissatisfied are you with the trash collection services in your neighborhood?' The choice of 'satisfied' vs. 'dissatisfied' suggests positive or negative responses respectively.
03

Creating a Sensitive Question

Think of a question topic that may be sensitive or embarrassing, which could lead people to hide their true opinions or experiences. For example: 'Do you always follow speed limits when driving?' Many might answer 'yes' due to social desirability bias, even if it's not true.

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Key Concepts

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

Biased Survey Questions
Biased survey questions are those that steer respondents towards a particular answer. This is usually done by using language that implies an expected answer or makes one option seem more favorable than others. For example, asking "Isn't it true that exercise is beneficial for everyone?" assumes the respondent agrees with the statement.
To identify biased questions, look for phrases that:
  • Encourage agreement or disagreement (e.g., "don't you think").
  • Contain emotionally charged or leading words.
  • Create assumptions about a topic that may not be universally true.
The goal is to craft neutral questions that do not skew the responses, allowing you to get a more accurate reflection of true sentiments. Ensuring neutrality in your questions increases the reliability and validity of your data.
Question Phrasing
How you phrase a question can drastically affect the answers you get. Two questions may seem similar but using different wording can influence how respondents perceive and answer them.
Consider the difference between asking, "How satisfied are you with our service?" and "What complaints do you have about our service?" The first question assumes satisfaction, nudging them to think positively, while the second assumes there might be issues.
When writing questions, keep these tips in mind:
  • Avoid using words with strong emotional connotations.
  • Ensure clarity to avoid misunderstandings.
  • Keep questions neutral to reduce bias.
Proper question phrasing is essential to obtain accurate data that truly represents the population's views or experiences.
Sensitive Survey Questions
Sensitive survey questions relate to topics that respondents may find difficult or embarrassing to answer truthfully. These can include queries about behavior, beliefs, or personal experiences that might not align with societal norms.
Suppose you ask, "Have you ever cheated on a test?" Responses might be skewed by shame or fear of judgment, leading to dishonest answers.
One way to address this is by reassuring anonymity and confidentiality to encourage honesty. Providing a range of allowed responses and clarifying that you respect diverse experiences can help reduce discomfort. This approach fosters an environment where respondents feel safe to express the truth.
Social Desirability Bias
Social desirability bias occurs when respondents answer questions in a way that they believe will be viewed favorably by others. This can distort survey results, making it look like more people conform to social norms than actually do.
An example is asking, "Do you always volunteer at local charities?" where respondents may answer "yes" to align with a positive social image, even if they don鈥檛 volunteer as often as they claim.
To minimize this bias:
  • Emphasize privacy and the importance of honest responses.
  • Phrase questions to be non-judgmental and non-assumptive.
  • Use indirect questioning techniques where appropriate.
Reducing social desirability bias improves the accuracy of your survey measures and provides a more genuine view of respondents' attitudes and behaviors.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Election Polls. In response to the question "If the 2016 presidential elections were being held today, would you vote for Hilary Clinton or Donald Trump?" the New York Times reported the result as \(43 \%\) for Hilary Clinton and \(39 \%\) for Donald J. Trump on July 7, 2016. This result was described as a "National Polling Average." Here are some details on how the average was computed: The New York Times polling averages use all polls currently listed in The Huffington Post's polling database. Polls conducted more recently and polls with a larger sample size are given greater weight in computing the averages, and polls with partisan sponsors are excluded. 37 a. Why do you think the surveyors gave greater weight to polls with larger sample sizes? b. Why should more recent polls be given greater weight? What population were the surveyors interested in on July 7, 2016, and how does that population continue to change over the election period? c. Why were polls with partisan sponsors excluded?

Sampling Gravestones. The local genealogical society in Coles County, Illinois, has compiled records on all 55,914 gravestones in cemeteries in the county for the years 1825 through 1985 . Historians plan to use these records to learn about African Americans in Coles County's history. They first choose an SRS of 395 records to check their accuracy by visiting the actual gravestones. 3 a. How would you label the 55,914 records? b. Use software, the Simple Random Sample applet, or Table \(\underline{B}\) (starting at line 141 ) to choose the first six records for the SRS.

A Survey of 100,000 Physicians. In 2010, the Physicians Foundation conducted a survey of physicians' attitudes about health care reform, saying that the report was "a survey of 100,000 physicians." The survey was sent to 100,000 randomly selected physicians practicing in the United States: 40,000 via postal mail and 60,000 via email. A total of 2,379 completed surveys were received. 11 a. State carefully what population is sampled in this survey and what is the sample size. Could you draw conclusions from this study about all physicians practicing in the United States? b. What is the rate of nonresponse for this survey? How might this affect the credibility of the survey results? c. Why is it misleading to call the report "a survey of 100,000 physicians"?

Race Relations. A 2018 Gallup poll showed that most Black Americans rate race relations with White people as bad. The poll is based on telephone interviews conducted November 19-December 22, 2018, with a random sample of 6502 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Landlines and cell phones were selected using random digit dialing. \(\underline{22}\) a. The survey wants the opinion of an individual adult, but a landline phone reaches a household in which several adult s may live. In that case, the survey interviewed the adult with the most recent birthday. Why is this preferable to simply interviewing the person who answers the phone? b. What is the population that this survey wants to describe? Why do you think it is important to include both landline and cell phones in your sample?

Wording Survey Questions. Comment on each of the following as a potential sample survey question. Is the question sufficiently clear? Is it slanted toward a desired response? a. "In light of increasing threats from climate change, we should decrease our dependence on fossil fuels. Do you agree or disagree?" b. "Do you agree that a national system of health insurance should be favored because it would provide health insurance for everyone and would reduce administrative costs?" c. "In view of the negative externalities in parent labor force participation and pediatric evidence associating increased group size with morbidity of children in day care, do you support government subsidies for day care programs?"
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