What issues and problems might derive from the construction and administration of political surveys?
What will be an ideal response?
In order to obtain accurate, reliable, and affordable information, surveys must be administered to random samples of respondents. This requires a well-constructed (in both wording and question order) and error-minimized (through scientific sampling and sample selection procedures) instrument. But people often do not understand or are unable to effectively communicate their personal preferences and attitudes. This noninformation problem often leads to errors as well. Other problems with survey administration include sampling error, in which the sample drawn is not representative of the community as a whole, self-selection error (such as SLOP surveys), and interviewer error, in which questions are asked in a leading way or are not effectively communicated to the respondents. Other errors can take place in tabulating and interpreting the results. The degree of error must be calculated and transmitted to those who are interpreting the survey. For instance, a survey with ±3% degree of error is much more reliable than one with ±25% degree of error. Also, the aggregate degree of error may be misleading. Error and responses must be interpreted at the level of individual demographic variables such as age, gender, education, race/ethnicity, and political party affiliation.
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What is the most common reason given for the lack of support for democracy in most Muslim cultures?
a. Islamic beliefs include a fundamental opposition to government power. b. Muslim cultures are generally unsupportive of gender equality. c. Islamic beliefs support socialist economic policies. d. Islamic beliefs support a strong merger of religion and the state.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a free, public education is every American citizen's constitutional right
a. True b. False Indicate whether the statement is true or false
"Pilot" research allows the investigator to
a. check out the procedures before collecting the real data. b. select the right participants for his or her study. c. determine if the randomizing techniques really work. d. simplify his or her research design.
Which of the following states would likely have the lowest
propensity to engage in war? A) A state with a highly nationalistic culture. B) A state with a relatively short history of independence. C) A state with a relatively poor economy but experiencing rising prosperity. D) A state with an economy well-linked to the global economy.