Question

a market research company wants to collect opinions on the comfort and performance of a new type of sneaker by brand x. which group of individuals would be the best choice for a random sample?

• ask every fourth person on the street
• ask every fourth person who is wearing that brand of sneaker
• ask every fourth employee from the brand x flagship store
• ask every fourth person who is wearing shoes

Explanation:

Analyze the target population

The market research company wants to collect opinions on the comfort and performance of a new type of sneaker by Brand X. The target population is general consumers who wear shoes or potential sneaker buyers, rather than only people who already own Brand X products or work for the company.

Evaluate potential sampling bias

Using the Sampling Bias Sources knowledge point:

• Asking employees from the Brand X flagship store introduces extreme response bias, as employees are highly likely to have favorable opinions of their own brand's products.
• Asking only people wearing Brand X sneakers introduces selection bias, as it excludes potential customers who wear other brands and limits the feedback to those who already chose this brand.
• Asking people on the street in general might include people who do not wear shoes or sneakers at all, which is less relevant for a sneaker study.

Identify the best systematic sample

Using the Systematic Sampling knowledge point:

• Selecting "every fourth person who is wearing shoes" targets the most representative and unbiased sample of the general shoe-wearing public. This avoids the brand-specific bias of the other options while ensuring the respondents are actually part of the relevant product-using population (people who wear shoes).

Answer:

• ask every fourth person on the street
• ask every fourth person who is wearing that brand of sneaker
• ask every fourth employee from the Brand X flagship store
• ask every fourth person who is wearing shoes (Correct answer)