Your school has just approved a new policy that will make the campus entirely smoke-free. This means no smoking on the property at any time, starting at the beginning of the next semester. Because you smoke a pack a day, you are alarmed. You collect a sample of opinions about the new policy from students and staff near one of the designated smoking areas (where you spend a lot of time).You find that there are many people who share your alarm. You produce some graphs and tables, and write a report about your findings, which you take to the president of the school. She listens to your tale of woe but then tells you that your study is not representative of the views of all of the members of the school community.
Where did you go wrong?