Suppose you were interested in studying attitudes of your fellow students toward immigration. What might you do to be sure that you surveyed a random sample of students? What would it mean for your research if you failed to do so?

To ensure that I surveyed a random sample of students, I would first need to define my population of interest, which in this case would be all students at my school. Then, I would need to use a random sampling method to select participants for my survey. This could involve using a random number generator to select student ID numbers, or using a random selection process in a school database.

If I failed to survey a random sample of students, it could significantly impact the validity and generalizability of my research. Without a random sample, my results may be biased and not representative of the entire student population. This could lead to inaccurate conclusions about the attitudes of my fellow students toward immigration. Additionally, it could also lead to ethical concerns if certain groups of students were overrepresented or underrepresented in the survey, potentially leading to unfair or misleading results. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that a random sample of students is surveyed in order to obtain reliable and valid data for my research on attitudes toward immigration.