A spa wants to determine which duration of its massage packages is the most popular. The spa has 30-minute, 50-minute, and 75-minute sessions. Which statistical measure should be used and is less affected by outliers and skewed data?

While the median is useful for understanding the midpoint of a data set and is less affected by outliers than the mean, it does not specifically indicate which duration is the most popular. Instead, it reflects the central tendency of the data, which may not provide the necessary insight into the most frequently chosen massage length.

Standard deviation measures the variability or dispersion of data points around the mean. However, it does not indicate which duration is most popular. In this context, standard deviation is irrelevant because the spa is not looking to analyze the spread of durations, but rather to identify the most frequently selected option.

The mean calculates the average duration of the massage sessions booked, which can be skewed by outliers or extreme values, making it a poor choice for determining popularity. Since the mean may not reflect the most common duration chosen by clients, it does not serve the spa's purpose effectively.