An Organization Called the Knot Inc $\$ 26,984$ And That $43 \%$

Short Answer

An organization called The Knot Inc. hosts two popular wedding websites and conducted a national (U.S.) survey of nearly 19,000 couples who were married in the year 2010 . The organization reported that the average amount spent on a wedding, excluding honeymoon, was $\$ 26,984$ and that $43 \%$ of the ceremonies were held outdoors.
-The press release describing this survey did not say how the 19,000 couples were selected. Explain why knowing this missing information is important.