A survey headline overstates its denominator
A fictional school magazine is given this Italian report: „Abbiamo invitato 200 studenti a rispondere. Hanno partecipato 80 persone e 60 di loro sostengono una sala tranquilla durante la ricreazione.“ A comment adds: „Il risultato riguarda chi ha risposto; non conosciamo l'opinione degli altri.“ The proposed headline says instead: „Il 75 per cento della scuola vuole subito una nuova sala.“ No information is supplied about the 120 nonrespondents, construction costs or available rooms. The reading task asks the learner to explain the report’s limitation and revise the headline faithfully. The school contains exactly the 200 invited students in this invented exercise. The writer may later argue for the proposal, but that opinion must be distinguished from what the survey itself demonstrates. The numbers and statements are not claims about a real school.
1. Why is the headline not supported?
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60 out of 80 respondents is 75 percent of respondents, not 75 percent of all 200 students. The 60 known supporters represent 30 percent of those invited. The opinion of nonrespondents and the demand for immediate implementation are not established.
2. Give a faithful Italian headline and explain the distinction.
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„La maggioranza di chi ha risposto sostiene una sala tranquilla.“ This preserves the respondent denominator. A later opinion can propose studying the project, but it needs its own reasons and cannot pretend the survey measured costs or immediate implementation.