In 2005 the San Francisco Bay Times reported on a poll in New Zealand that found

Question

In 2005 the San Francisco Bay Timesreported on a poll in New Zealand that found that New Zealanders opposed the nation’s new gay-inclusive civil-unions law by a 3-1 ratio. This poll was a call-in poll that cost $1 to participate in. The San Francisco Bay Timesarticle also reported that a scientific polling organization found that New Zealanders favor the law by a margin of 56.4% to 39.3%. Explain to someone who knows no statisticswhy the two polls can give such widely differing results and which poll is likely to be more reliable.

Explanation / Answer

Explain to someone who knows no statistics why the two polls can give such widely differing results and which poll is likely to be more reliable.

The San Francisco Bay Times used the Voluntary Response method ( Voluntary response method is self selected method, it's people choice whether to give response or not). So the two polls can give such widely differing results. And so their poll results cannot be considered reliable.

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