Methodological concerns for researchers Trust factor- Reserachers must understan
ID: 372745 • Letter: M
Question
Methodological concerns for researchers
Trust factor- Reserachers must understand that trust is the key. Polls must be based on truth. Wrong polls can be dangerous for a community or a nation as whole. A poll must be specific and right.
Small poll less result- Poll must be sufficiently large that the built-in sampling error is reasonably small. Sampling error is the natural variation that occurs from taking samples. We don't expect a sample of 1000 flips of a coin will produce exactly the same heads/tails distribution as a second sample of 1000. But the larger the samples are, the less the natural variation from one to another. If in a small group where everyone wants something, a poll result will favour their demand where as large group may have different opinion groups.
Pollsters must consider- No poll is perfect. If the pollster succeeds at generating a random sample, then between 1,000 and 1,500 people will give an accurate picture of national opinion. The margin of error indicates how much answers will bounce around the truth from poll to poll as people may assume that the margin must include the truth, so if a poll estimates that 74 percent of Americans oppose the licensing of gun owners, with a margin of 5% points, they assume the truth must lie between 71% and 77%. This is not true, however. Once in every 10 poll will draw an unlucky sample which ruins the pollster image even he did everything right.
Avoiding bias
In addition to sampling errors, polls can be biased by the type of questions asked and the way the polls are conducted. Questions must be as neutral as possible to avoid skewed results. "Do you believe serial murderers should be executed?" gets a much different response from "Do you support capital punishment?" Interview takers must be careful not to add their own views into the process by how they ask a question. No secret agenda must be there while asking. A poll is also only as good as the respondents, and its validity clearly depends on their willingness to tell the truth about their positions.
Polls are an integral part of American politics. Besides the polling organizations, the news media routinely conduct and report the results of their own surveys. Pollsters also have high-profile positions on campaign and White House staffs. This concern for measuring public opinion indicates that public opinion is useful in understanding the positions of the American people and what policies they support.
Explanation / Answer
8. W hat are the key methodological concerns researchers must address when building a public opinion poll? W hat are common things pollsters must consider when measuring public opinion: