Social Science Research

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Social Science Research

Annenberg Series on-line interactive site

The Annenberg Series on-line interactive site on sampling is a very informative one that centers on the use of opinion polls to predict election results . Polls refer to the questioning of a cross section of the population in to ascertain general public opinion about an election . The site questions the effectiveness of poll results , the frequency of its use by the American public and

its influence on voters choice of electoral candidate . It uses a conjured campaign between Stephanie Higgins and Webster Fletcher to describe the polling system The site also discusses how polls work , margins of error , confidence intervals , effectiveness of polls , and its impact on election outcomes

From the site , I have learnt that it is important for pollsters to use an arbitrary group of people that correctly represents a sample of the population . The more people involved in a poll , the more accurate the results . The site also highlights a number of factors that reduce the accuracy of poll results and four of them are : 1 ) the telephone medium used in conducting polls has its shortcomings a substantial percentage of people have unlisted numbers , while some do not have telephone lines at all . Respondents to poll questions are therefore limited to only those who can be reached via telephone lines . 2 Statistics show that in the United States , half of registered voters do not vote if a poll targets only registered voters who do not eventually vote , it can not be considered accurate . 3 ) The questions asked are prejudiced no matter how the questions are phrased , it usually sounds partial . 4 ) Most people do not appreciate unsolicited phone calls and so , views expressed over the phone may not be reliable (Statistics 1997

The result of visitors to the statistics exhibit that responded to the poll shows that out of an estimated average of 63 ,800 people , 49 .9 have participated in an election poll before , 56 believe that results of election polls are accurate , and 86 .9 agree that news reports regarding candidates and voter polling have an impact on how people vote . From the site , a candidate 's stand on issues is one of the most common factors that voters consider when deciding whom to vote for (Statistics1997 . The sample is sufficiently random and there is a strong likelihood that the statistics are a true reflection of reality

Gummy Bears in the White House

To illustrate sampling , eight groups of students were given eight different bags of gummy bears that contained different distributions of gummy bears with various colors . Each group examined the distribution of gummy bears and subsequently categorized them into separate colors : red yellow , green , white , orange and purple . A bar graph was drawn to display the frequency and number of each category (color ) of gummy bears . The bag that best represented all the gummy bears on the...