Comments on: Understanding polls: Margins of error https://davidmallard.id.au/2011/01/understanding-polls-margins-of-error/ Words. Cde. Data. Tue, 18 Aug 2020 00:43:56 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 By: amit b https://davidmallard.id.au/2011/01/understanding-polls-margins-of-error/#comment-2811 Sat, 02 Aug 2014 17:19:55 +0000 http://www.davidmallard.id.au/?p=132#comment-2811 Thanks David for simple explanation. Your description removed my terrible doubt of why they consider 0.98 instead of 1.96 for 95%. Now i know that it comes from assumption of p=0.5

]]> By: David Mallard https://davidmallard.id.au/2011/01/understanding-polls-margins-of-error/#comment-15 Sun, 16 Jan 2011 02:35:34 +0000 http://www.davidmallard.id.au/?p=132#comment-15 In reply to Scott Bridges.

Glad you found it helpful, Scott.

]]> By: Scott Bridges https://davidmallard.id.au/2011/01/understanding-polls-margins-of-error/#comment-14 Sat, 15 Jan 2011 08:46:13 +0000 http://www.davidmallard.id.au/?p=132#comment-14 I had good learning from this article. You somehow made maths and stats readable. Nice work, David.

]]> By: David Mallard https://davidmallard.id.au/2011/01/understanding-polls-margins-of-error/#comment-11 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 20:40:32 +0000 http://www.davidmallard.id.au/?p=132#comment-11 In reply to David Hough.

Thanks, David. I’m glad you think this sort of article is worthwhile. I think statistical and scientific literacy can be incredibly useful skills, not only for those who report the news but for anyone who wants to make sense of those reports as well.

I’m planning to write more articles like this on other topics that seem worthwhile, which I’d be very happy to see published if Crikey think they are suitable.

]]> By: David Hough https://davidmallard.id.au/2011/01/understanding-polls-margins-of-error/#comment-10 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 03:16:33 +0000 http://www.davidmallard.id.au/?p=132#comment-10 We need more of this kind of thing. The standard of statistical literacy among journalists (more so among editors) amazes me. Whenever I have asked that such information be included in blatant reports, the answer is invariably, “no one is really interested!”

I’m not into social networking but the opportunity to sign up to receive statistical tutorials, built around real world examples, may be attractive to readers of Crikey.com.

Thank you.

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