Absent more information about the survey methodology, we don't know. If it's the latter, and the arguments that it's wrong are being based on estimates of the former then we're comparing apples and oranges.
That is what I suspect...
LOL, one aspect of my job is supplying information to people for their decisions, and I have found that one can take statistics, and without openly lying, can be deceitful or just wrong.
Sometimes people are unintentionally deceitful.
And sometimes they aren’t!
One of the things I have found is that when I supply data, I have to be on guard not to work the data to a point that it gives people the answer they want.
It is entirely possible to massage the data to the point where it can be completely misleading, and you can often do it without really altering the data.
It is a slippery slope. I try to keep in mind that I often have to be the bearer of bad news, not what they want to hear, even though I could figure out a way to make it more palatable.
Of course, if they ASK me for specific data in a specific way and they are making the decision on how they want to present it, that is a business decision, and it isn’t necessarily unethical.
There are ways to present data that make a situation look better than it is, and we all do it.
“But honey...the average price of this part for the car was $200!”
Even though you only checked two places!