Radio and TV stations often air controversial issues during broadcast time and a
ID: 2956933 • Letter: R
Question
Radio and TV stations often air controversial issues during broadcast time and ask viewers to indicate their agreement or disagreement with a given stand on the issue. A poll is conducted by asking those viewers who agree to call a certain 900 telephone number and those who disagree to call a second 900 telephone number. All respondents pay a fee for their calls.A) Does this polling technique result in a random sample?
B) What can be said about the validity of the results of such a survey? DO you need to worry about a margin of error in this case?
Explanation / Answer
a) No, it is not a random sample. The sample requires that people have access to a phone, and can afford the fee. Also, it is limited to the people who view the show, which may not be representative of the population as a whole. People in the population are not equally likely to be chosen. b) The results are likely not valid for the reasons mentioned above. Also because the sample does not represent the population, you will need to worry about the margin of error, as your results are likely skewed. If this helped, please rate. If you have questions, just ask.
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