MathsFreePrintable

Data Sources & Ethics

A free maths worksheet ready for your classroom. Open in Kuraplan to grab the print-ready PDF, customize it for your students, or generate a fresh version in seconds.

Download now

Name:Date:

Data Sources & Ethics

A local youth centre is deciding whether to add a new after-school activity. Use the case file to judge how trustworthy the data is and how it should be collected ethically. Explain your thinking; more than one concern may apply.

Case file: What do young people want?

A sports equipment company surveyed 40 people aged 12–15 who were leaving its shop in Hamilton. It asked, “Wouldn’t you rather spend your afternoons playing sport than sitting around?” Of the 40 people, 32 answered “yes”. The company published the claim: “80% of New Zealand teenagers want more sports activities.” It did not say how people were invited, whether anyone declined, or whether the answers were anonymous. The youth centre is considering using the claim to decide what activity to offer.

1.The company gathered answers directly from people for this survey. Is this primary or secondary data from the company’s point of view? Explain your choice.

2.The youth centre reads the company’s published results rather than surveying people itself. Is the information primary or secondary data for the centre?

Primary data, because the results contain numbers
Secondary data, because another organisation collected and published it
Neither; published data cannot be used
Primary data, because the centre may use it to make a decision

3.Identify two reasons this sample might not represent all teenagers in New Zealand.

4.What is the main problem with the survey question, “Wouldn’t you rather spend your afternoons playing sport than sitting around?”

It is a leading question that suggests a preferred answer
It asks about more than one year group
It is a neutral question with no possible answer
It gives too many response options

5.Rewrite the survey question so it is neutral and lets people choose different activities.

6.The company reports 32 “yes” answers out of 40. Check the calculation: what percentage answered yes? Does this calculation alone prove the claim about all New Zealand teenagers?

7.Which extra information would best help you judge whether the company’s result is trustworthy? Select all that apply.

How and where participants were selected
The exact question and response options used
The colours used in the company’s report
The ages and locations represented in the sample

Plan an ethical survey

The youth centre wants better evidence before choosing an activity. Think about fairness, privacy and honest reporting.

8.Choose the most ethical way for the centre to ask young people about activity preferences.

Secretly record conversations at the centre and count the answers
Explain the survey’s purpose, make participation optional, and avoid collecting names unless needed
Require every young person to answer and publish each person’s response
Ask only the centre’s sports team and say the results represent everyone

9.Give two details the centre should tell participants before they answer the survey.

10.The centre wants to know what activity to offer. Suggest one way to make its sample more representative than the company’s sample.

11.Write a short recommendation to the youth centre: should it use the company’s 80% claim to choose an activity? Refer to at least two features of the data and state what the centre should do next.