Chapter 14, Problem 66E

Leading-question bias. The way the questions in many surveys are phrased can itself be a source of bias. When a question is worded in such a way as to predispose the respondent to provide a particular response, the results of the survey are tainted by a special type of bias called leading-question bias. The following is an extreme hypothetical situation intended to drive the point home. In an effort to find out how the American taxpayer feels about a tax increase, the Institute for Tax Reform conducts a “scientific” one question poll.

Are you in favor of paying higher taxes to bail the federal government out of its disastrous economic policies and its mismanagement of the federal budget? Yes . No . Ninety-five percent of the respondents answered no.

a. Explain why the results of this survey might be invalid.

b. Rephrase the question in a neutral way. Pay particular attention to highly charged words.

c. Make up your own (more subtle) example of leading question bias. Analyze the critical words that are the cause of bias.