From the course: Everyday Statistics, with Eddie Davila

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Decoding polling results

Decoding polling results

From the course: Everyday Statistics, with Eddie Davila

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Decoding polling results

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- [Instructor] In the weeks leading up to a statewide or national election, results for dozens of polls can be found in news coverage and all over the internet. In some cases, news outlets may announce poll results, the margin of error for the poll, and sometimes they'll even mention the poll's level of confidence. What does this all mean, and how are they getting these numbers? Let's begin with the poll results. In this case, candidate B seems have a big lead, and with 52% of the vote, they seem stoked for victory. Don't forget, the 5% margin of error. The poll results indicate that while candidate B got 52% of the poll, the random sample collected in the poll is imperfect, so candidate B could actually have support as high as 57% or as low as 47%. And their opponent, candidate A has support between 41% and 51%. Also, don't forget to count the 2% that are undecided, which incidentally is also subject to the 5% margin of…

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