Analyzing Polls: Interpretive Analysis
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Interpretive Analysis of survey data explains what is on the collective public's minds in a fair, non-biased manner. Sound analysis takes into account various measures: critical thinking, sources of error, context, methodological matters, and a hearty dose of common sense. Whether you're assessing a poll just out of the field or conducting secondary analysis of existing data, this section is aimed at promoting sensible examination of opinion polls, by offering analytical suggestions. What's a public opinion poll?A scientific, non-biased public opinion poll is a type of survey or inquiry designed to measure what the public's views are regarding a particular topic or series of topics. Questions are asked by trained interviewers to people chosen at random from the population being measured. Responses are given, and interpretations are made based on the results. It is important in a random sample that everyone in the population being studied has an equal chance of participating. Otherwise, the results could be biased and, therefore, not representative of the population. Representative samples are chosen in order to make generalizations about a particular population being studied. It's important to remember that a census is not an example of a poll, because everyone in the population is included. A sample does not include everyone, Jay Leno's famous comedy bit about "Jaywalking" (where he stops someone on the street to ask a question) is not a poll because it is not scientifically representative of a population. It is, however, random.
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