Question

Seat belt uses 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.16 Explain the reason for the bias observed in responses to the survey. Do you expect bias in the same direction in most surveys about seat belt use?

Short answer

It is not expected that all the surveys about the seat belt will be in the same direction.

Step-by-step solution

Given information

The use of seat belts by drivers was investigated in an EL Paso, Texas study. Drivers were monitored at convenience stores picked at random. They were asked to answer questions after getting out of their cars, including questions about seat belt use. Although$75\%$ of respondents indicated they always wear seat belts, only $61.5$ percent were doing so when they pulled into the store parking lots.

Concept

A simple random sample (SRS) of size $n$ is made up of $n$ people chosen from the population with an equal chance of being the sample that is actually chosen.

Explanation

A selection bias or a non-response bias could occur. Most persons who do not wear seat belts are unlikely to tell you the truth. As a result, the results will be skewed, and the sample will not be representative of the full population. As a result, it is unlikely that all seat belt polls will point in the same way.