In the same survey data, what percent of smartphone owners also own laptops?

In the same survey data, what percent of smartphone owners also own laptops?

• A. Approximately 31%
• B. Approximately 20%
• C. Approximately 50%
• D. Approximately 40%

Answer: (A)

Think of this as a conditional percentage: you’re looking for what fraction of one group (smartphone owners) also belongs to another group (laptop owners). To get it, take the number who own both and divide by the total number who own smartphones, then multiply by 100. In this dataset, the overlap between smartphone owners and laptop owners is such that the ratio is about 0.31. So roughly 31 out of 100 smartphone owners also own a laptop. That’s why approximately 31% is the best answer. If you tried a value like 20% or 50%, it would imply a notably smaller or larger overlap than the data show, respectively, which doesn’t match the observed counts in the survey cross-tab.

Think of this as a conditional percentage: you’re looking for what fraction of one group (smartphone owners) also belongs to another group (laptop owners). To get it, take the number who own both and divide by the total number who own smartphones, then multiply by 100.

In this dataset, the overlap between smartphone owners and laptop owners is such that the ratio is about 0.31. So roughly 31 out of 100 smartphone owners also own a laptop. That’s why approximately 31% is the best answer.

If you tried a value like 20% or 50%, it would imply a notably smaller or larger overlap than the data show, respectively, which doesn’t match the observed counts in the survey cross-tab.