A study in El Paso, Texas, looked at seat belt use by drivers.
Drivers were observed at randomly chosen convenience stores. After
they left their cars, they were invited to answer questions that
included questions about seat belt use. In all, 75% said they
always used seat belts, yet only 61.5% were wearing seat belts when
they pulled into the store parking lots.
(a) Explain the reason for the bias observed in responses to the
survey.
It is response bias due to the negative perception of not using
a seatbelt.
Bias could be due to the small number of drivers
observed.
The convenience store may not have been representative of all
stores.
Many of the drivers may have been driving vehicles without
seatbelts.
(b) Do you expect bias in the same direction in most surveys about
seat belt use?
No, because El Paso is not very representative of all
surveys.
Yes, because most percentages tend to be closer to
50%.
Yes, such bias is likely in most surveys about seat belt
use (and similar topics).
No, such bias is unlikely in most surveys about seat belt use
(and similar topics).