1. The problem asks why the sample used in the survey is not representative of the population. 2. The sample consists only of families with school-aged children who attend local schools. 3. This sample excludes families without children or with children not attending local schools, and other residents without children. 4. Because the sample is limited, it may not reflect the opinions of the entire town population, which includes people of all ages and family situations. 5. The formula for representativeness is that the sample should be a random or unbiased subset of the entire population. 6. Here, the sample is biased because it only includes a specific subgroup likely to have a particular interest in playgrounds. 7. Therefore, families with school-aged children are more likely to want the land used for a playground than the rest of the town. 8. A more representative sample would include people of all ages in the town to capture diverse opinions. Final answer: The sample is not representative of the population because families with school-aged children are more likely than the rest of the town's population to want the land to be used for a playground. A more representative sample would be people of all ages in the town.