Imagine you want to know everyone’s favourite lunch in your class. You could just ask your three best friends — but would that really tell you what the whole class thinks?
Asking good questions
A good question is clear, asks one thing at a time, and does not try to push someone towards an answer. "What is your favourite fruit?" is a good question. "Don’t you agree that apples are the best fruit?" is not — it is trying to make people agree with you, which is not fair.
Surveys — asking everyone the same question
A survey is when you ask the same question to lots of people and collect their answers. If you wanted to know your class’s favourite fruit fairly, you would ask every single person the same question, then use a tally chart to count the answers.
| Fruit | Tally | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | |||| | | 6 |
| Banana | |||| | 4 |
| Strawberry | ||||| ||| | 8 |
Being fair when finding out
To find things out fairly, you should: ask everyone, not just your friends; ask the same question to each person; and write down what people really say, even if it is not the answer you were hoping for.
Put these steps for a fair survey in order:
- Think of one clear, fair question to ask
- Ask the same question to everyone, not just your friends
- Write down every answer honestly, even surprising ones
- Count up the answers using a tally chart