What does a large standard deviation in survey answers indicate to a researcher?

A large standard deviation in survey answers suggests that the responses are widely spread out from the mean, indicating a range of different opinions or experiences among the respondents. This variability implies that there is little consensus or agreement among the participants regarding the survey question. A high standard deviation often reflects that some respondents are giving very different answers compared to others, highlighting the diversity of perspectives in the data collected.

The other options do not accurately reflect the interpretation of a large standard deviation. For example, high agreement among respondents would actually result in a low standard deviation, as the answers would cluster closely around the mean. Similarly, stating that responses are normally distributed does not relate directly to standard deviation but rather to the shape of the distribution, which can occur irrespective of the actual spread of responses. Lastly, while a small sample size can affect the reliability of the conclusions drawn, it does not inherently correlate with a large standard deviation; the spread of responses can be high or low regardless of sample size.