Surveys have become an important component of American life. They directly affect us in so many ways, including public, policy, the television shows we watch, the products we buy, and the political leaders we elect. Because surveys are now such an integral part of our lives, it is important that every citizen has the ability to interpret survey results. Surveys are the focus of this project. A recent Harris survey of 1961 adults showed that 76% have registered for the do not call registry, so that telemarketers do not phone them.
Analyzing the data
1. Use the survey results to construct a 95% confidence interval estimate of the percentage of all adults on the do not call registry.
2. Identify the margin of error for this survey
3. Explain why it would or would not be okay for a newspaper to make this statement: Based on results from a recent survey, the majority of adults are not on the do not call registry.
4. Assume that you are a newspaper reporter. Write a description of the survey results for your newspaper.
5. A common criticism of surveys is that they poll only a very small percentage of the population and therefore cannot be accurate. Is a sample of only 1961 adults taken from a population of 225,139,000, adults a sample size that is too small? Write an explanation of why the sample size of 1961 is or is not too small.