Unit 4 Day 7 Polling Methodology Quote Public

Unit 4 Day 7 (Polling Methodology) Quote: “Public opinion is no more than this: what people think that other people think. - Alfred Austin Learning Objective: Explain the relationship between core beliefs of U. S. citizens and attitudes about the role of government. Enduring Understanding: Citizen beliefs about government are shaped by the intersection of demographics, political culture, and dynamic social change.

Polling Methodology • One of the hardest aspects of polling is making sure that the results are accurate. Questions must be objective, properly worded, and not emotionally charged.

• When taking a poll, a proper sample needs to be obtained. The poll should be representative of the population, and should contain about 1, 500 respondents.

• A poll also needs to be random, everyone must have an equal chance of being selected. Most polling is done over the phone to avoid any unseen bias.

• Similar poll results are compared to each other to determine the sampling error. Once the sampling error is calculated, the poll is given a margin of error. A margin of error of plus or minus 4 is considered satisfactory.

• There are several factors that can lead to inaccuracies in polling data. Undecideds, social-desirability bias, and the bandwagon effect can all lead to inaccurate data.