Which bias is highlighted regarding CNN's Internet quick vote on housework?

Which bias is highlighted regarding CNN's Internet quick vote on housework?

• A. CNN viewers may be different from average Americans
• B. All Internet users have equal access
• C. The poll used random-digit dialing
• D. The questions were biased toward men

Answer: (A)

The main concept is sampling bias from self-selection in an online poll. When participation is voluntary and limited to people who visit a site like CNN and click a quick vote, the results reflect the views and characteristics of that specific group, not the broader population. CNN viewers who engage with the online poll may differ in age, gender, education, or interests from average Americans, so the poll’s results aren’t a representative cross-section of the country. That’s why the statement that CNN viewers may be different from average Americans best captures the bias. The other options don’t fit as well. Assuming equal access for all Internet users isn’t the issue here—the problem is who chooses to participate. The method described isn’t random-digit dialing, which is a telephone sampling technique, so that option doesn’t describe the poll’s bias. And there’s no indication the questions were crafted to favor men specifically, so gender bias in the wording isn’t the highlighted problem; the core issue is the nonrepresentative sample due to self-selection.

The main concept is sampling bias from self-selection in an online poll. When participation is voluntary and limited to people who visit a site like CNN and click a quick vote, the results reflect the views and characteristics of that specific group, not the broader population. CNN viewers who engage with the online poll may differ in age, gender, education, or interests from average Americans, so the poll’s results aren’t a representative cross-section of the country. That’s why the statement that CNN viewers may be different from average Americans best captures the bias.

The other options don’t fit as well. Assuming equal access for all Internet users isn’t the issue here—the problem is who chooses to participate. The method described isn’t random-digit dialing, which is a telephone sampling technique, so that option doesn’t describe the poll’s bias. And there’s no indication the questions were crafted to favor men specifically, so gender bias in the wording isn’t the highlighted problem; the core issue is the nonrepresentative sample due to self-selection.