Gallup Poll Worksheet Questions With Complete
Solutions
1. List three reasons Americans 1. To ask how our results can ditter so much from
their own
contact the gallup organiza-personal impressions of what people think
tion. 2. To learn how we go about selecting people for
inclusion in our polls
3. To find out why they have never been interviewed.
2. What did a recent "pollSaid that polls do a good job of forecasting elections and are
on polls " reveal about accurate when measuring public opinion on other issues.
how be- lievable people
think polls are.
3. What is the to come up with the same results that would have been ob-
fundamental goal of tained had every single member of a population been
a survey. inter- viewed.
states that if every member of a population has equal
4. What is "equal probability of being selected in a sample, then that
probability of a sample will be represen- tative of the population.
selection" and why is it
im- portant.
5. Why does gallup try to reach Reaching people at home is the starting place for
almost all
people at home national surveys.
6. How were the earliest Earliest polls were conducted in person. This started around
polls conducted? When 1935-to the mid 1980s
did this take place?
7. How accurate were exit polls They were highly accurate with the average error in
Gallups final for presidential elections be- estimate of the election being less than
3 percentage points. tween 1936 and 1984.
1/
7
, Gallup Poll Worksheet Questions With Complete
Solutions
8. How did the Gallups In 1986 a very high proportion of Americans had at least
polls change in 1986? one tele- phone in their homes to make telephone
why ? interviews a viable and substantially less expensive
alternative to the in-person method.
2/
7
Solutions
1. List three reasons Americans 1. To ask how our results can ditter so much from
their own
contact the gallup organiza-personal impressions of what people think
tion. 2. To learn how we go about selecting people for
inclusion in our polls
3. To find out why they have never been interviewed.
2. What did a recent "pollSaid that polls do a good job of forecasting elections and are
on polls " reveal about accurate when measuring public opinion on other issues.
how be- lievable people
think polls are.
3. What is the to come up with the same results that would have been ob-
fundamental goal of tained had every single member of a population been
a survey. inter- viewed.
states that if every member of a population has equal
4. What is "equal probability of being selected in a sample, then that
probability of a sample will be represen- tative of the population.
selection" and why is it
im- portant.
5. Why does gallup try to reach Reaching people at home is the starting place for
almost all
people at home national surveys.
6. How were the earliest Earliest polls were conducted in person. This started around
polls conducted? When 1935-to the mid 1980s
did this take place?
7. How accurate were exit polls They were highly accurate with the average error in
Gallups final for presidential elections be- estimate of the election being less than
3 percentage points. tween 1936 and 1984.
1/
7
, Gallup Poll Worksheet Questions With Complete
Solutions
8. How did the Gallups In 1986 a very high proportion of Americans had at least
polls change in 1986? one tele- phone in their homes to make telephone
why ? interviews a viable and substantially less expensive
alternative to the in-person method.
2/
7
