During the 2012 presidential election, Fox News had a continual survey on their

Question

During the 2012 presidential election, Fox News had a continual survey on their website available for readers to indicate for whom they planned to vote. Based on this survey located on the main page, Fox News reported Mitt Romney holding a 3-5% lead over Barack Obama up until the day of the election. With these surveys, the results are usually reported immediately after the question is answered showing very updated information. What is the error with this sample? Should we ignore the results of these types of web surveys? Explain.

Explanation / Answer

The Fox News website will appeal only to a particular demographic. The type of individuals that would visit the Fox website will most likely be conservative Republicans who will be voting for Mitt Romney. Although there were some individuals that were voting for Barack Obama in the poll, the numbers still would not show a true representation of the sample.

I feel some of the surveys can be beneficial and somewhat accurate depending on the site and the type of information being collected. Some people are not computer saavy or up to date with technology, so relying on a web-based survey can only extend to specific group of people.

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