Chapter 1.6, Problem 5E

During the 2004 senatorial campaign in a large southwestern state, illegal immigration was a major issue. One of the candidates argued that illegal immigrants made use of educational and social services without having to pay property taxes. The other candidate pointed out that the cost of new homes in their state was 20–30% less than the national average due to the low wages received by the large number of illegal immigrants working on new home construction. A random sample of 5,500 registered voters was asked the question, “Are illegal immigrants generally a benefit or a liability to the state’s economy?” The results were as follows: 3,500 people responded “liability,” 1,500 people responded “benefit,” and 500 people responded “uncertain.”

1. a. What is the population of interest?
2. b. What is the population from which the sample was selected?
3. c. Does the sample adequately represent the population?
4. d. If a second random sample of 5,000 registered voters was selected, would the results be nearly the same as the results obtained from the initial sample of 5,000 voters? Explain your answer.