In March 1977 (during an "energy crisis",) the U.S. Federal Energy Administration (FEA) conducted a personal interview survey of a sample of homes where there was a heating load (that is, the outside temperature was below 65°F). The average indoor temperature of these homes, as measured by a calibrated thermometer, was 70°F+ or -2°F during the day and 69°F+ or -2°F at night. This represented little or no change from the previous two years; yet, during an independent telephone survey, the FEA found that people said they were keeping their homes at 66°F during the day and 64°F at night.
a. What are some of the possible hypotheses for this difference between stated and actual temperatures?
b. What questions would you ask during a telephone survey to clarify the stated house temperature and learn about people's attitudes toward reducing the house temperature?