Nonresponse bias

Nonresponse bias occurs when people chosen for the sample do not respond, and those who do respond differ systematically from those who do not.

Nonresponse bias arises after the sample is chosen, when some selected people do not answer. For example, if a survey reaches a random sample but only the most satisfied customers reply, the results skew positive. The problem is not the missing answers themselves but that non-responders tend to differ from responders. Unlike undercoverage, which happens before contact, nonresponse occurs after people have been selected.

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