Question

owners of a radio station want to obtain information on the radio listening habits in their market area. the market area contains one city of population 150,000, another city of 40,000, and three towns of about 6,000 inhabitants each. the station suspects the listening habits may be different in larger and smaller cities, and in the rural areas, so it splits the market area up accordingly to survey. which of the following sampling designs best represents the type of survey design described?
a cluster sample using regions in the market area as clusters
a convenience sample from the market area
a simple random sample from the whole market area
a stratified sample from the cities and towns in the market area
an online poll that invites all people from the cities and towns in the market area to participate

Explanation:

The radio - station splits the market area based on different types of locations (large cities, small cities, rural areas). Stratified sampling involves dividing the population into distinct subgroups (strata) and then sampling from each subgroup. Here, the different types of locations form the strata. Cluster sampling would involve sampling entire groups (clusters) rather than sampling from within different subgroups. Convenience sampling uses easily - accessible individuals. Simple random sampling selects individuals randomly from the whole population without dividing it into subgroups. An online poll is a different type of data - collection method and not a specific sampling design in the traditional sense compared to the others listed.

Answer:

D. A stratified sample from the cities and towns in the market area