Can Statistics Tell Us Anything Important About Politics Free Essay Example, 2750 words

The political surveys conducted by the government or the media to obtain public opinion on topics of national interest contain the huge amount of data which have to be gathered, organized and analyzed in the most efficient manner. Sampling is a methodology used to study about a million people through just 1000 (Stephen Ansolabehere 2003). Statistics provides various samplings methods, such as Simple Random Sampling, Stratified Random Sampling, Cluster Sampling, to gather such maximum data at the least cost and time. The methods applied to obtain valuable information from the huge dataset can be the simplest descriptive statistics consisting of average and range, correlation and cross-tabulation to complex forecasting models. Choosing the statistical method for analysis depends completely on the political situation, defined hypothesis and the measured variables or factors under study. It is a common practice of most politicians in developing countries to promise during election time to eradicate poverty and hunger to attract votes. The facts and figures given by these politicians on the extent of hunger have always been a topic of scrutinization for social scientists and political researchers. We will write a custom essay sample on Can Statistics Tell Us Anything Important About Politics or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now For this purpose, past data relating to hunger can be obtained from local agricultural departments which administer the food stamp program. More data can be obtained from social organizations, church groups, and child welfare foundations as they provide food to the deprived. More useful information can also be obtained from food manufacturers and distributors. Secondary data on the studies and surveys conducted on hunger can be obtained from periodicals, journals, and newspapers. This information can be analyzed to compare all previous studies and surveys to obtain the truth. In most cases, the studies and surveys do not provide the same results. One popular statistical methodology used in the analysis of the survey is the Probability theory which provides a measure of uncertainty (Leonard 1972).