Many adults owe money from their college loans for years into their professional careers. A newspaper would like to estimate the proportion of all adults in the city who have debts from college loans. To collect data, a random sample of 300 young adults between the ages of 25 and 35 is asked, "Do you have more than $5,000 in current college debts?” 68% of those sampled reported that they do have more than $5,000 in college-related debts. How might this sample be biased in obtaining an estimate of all adults in the city who have college debts?
Answer
A
Because young adults were randomly selected, this sample should provide an unbiased estimate of the proportion of adults with college debts.
B
Because only young adults were sampled, undercoverage bias may cause the newspaper to overestimate the proportion of all adults who have college debts.
C
Because some young adults may not honestly report their debts, response bias may cause the newspaper to underestimate the proportion of adults with college debts.
D
Because adults with college debts may be less likely to respond, voluntary response bias may cause the newspaper to underestimate the proportion of adults who have college debts.