Question

the linear correlation between violent crime rate and percentage of the population that has a cell phone is - 0.918 for years since 1995. do you believe that increasing the percentage of the population that has a cell phone will decrease the violent crime rate? what might be a lurking variable between percentage of the population with a cell phone and violent crime rate? will increasing the percentage of the population that has a cell phone decrease the violent crime rate? choose the best option below. yes no

Explanation:

Correlation does not imply causation. Just because there is a strong negative linear correlation ($r = - 0.918$) between the percentage of the population with a cell phone and the violent crime rate does not mean that one variable is causing the change in the other. There could be other factors (lurking variables) at play. For example, economic conditions (higher - income areas may have more cell phones and better law - enforcement leading to lower crime rates), technological advancements over time (as cell phone usage became more common, there were also improvements in crime - fighting technology and strategies).

Answer:

No