An individual who returns a marketing-research survey with unanswered questions is demonstrating what type of error?

An individual who returns a marketing-research survey with unanswered questions is demonstrating a non-response error. This type of error occurs when participants do not provide responses to specific questions within a survey, which can lead to incomplete data. Non-response errors are significant because they affect the reliability and validity of the research findings. If certain questions are left unanswered, it can skew the results and potentially bias the analysis, as the responses received may not truly reflect the views or behaviors of the entire target population.

In this context, the individual’s decision not to answer some questions may stem from a variety of reasons, such as lack of knowledge, interest, or perceived relevance of those questions to their experience. Understanding non-response error is crucial in marketing research, as researchers need to account for these gaps in data when interpreting results.