Exam 11: No Safety in Numbers: Checking Them Twice

Another important but sometimes overlooked factor in assessing the value of a poll is the actual ___ of the questions asked of those being polled.

Some critics say that publishing generalized public attitudes on elections can cause a ___ effect, boosting front-runners and discouraging voting by suggesting that a candidate with a big lead is a sure thing.

To get the ___ of a group of numbers, first add all the numbers, then divide by the number of items.

If the margin of error in a poll is 3 percentage points, that means that the poll's conclusion actually could be higher or lower than reported and actually ranges over ___ percent.

To find the ___ of a group of numbers, arrange them from highest to lowest and use the one in the middle.

A ___ is a ratio between two measurements that shows a relationship between numbers based on a standard unit.

In order for a poll to be scientific, the people questioned must be chosen ___.

If you want to find a ___ change between two numbers, such as comparing home prices from one year to the next, you can use a simple three-step formula.

Online or call-in polls that seek opinions without applying the methodology needed to draw firm conclusions about public attitudes are ___ and are better avoided by news organizations.

Using professional ___ can give news organizations a reliable way of measuring public attitudes and opinions.