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Problem-Solving and Data AnalysisEasy–MediumWhat a sample percentage is

Problem-Solving and Data Analysis practice question

A poll of 800 randomly selected voters in a city found that 62% of them support a new park. Which of the following best describes this 62%?

  1. A. An estimate, based on the sample, of the percentage of all the city's voters who support the park.Correct
  2. B. The exact percentage of all the city's voters who support the park.
  3. C. The percentage of voters who refused to answer the poll.
  4. D. The poll's margin of error.

Answer: A. An estimate, based on the sample, of the percentage of all the city's voters who support the park.

The 62% is a sample statistic. It estimates the population percentage; only a survey of every voter could give the exact figure.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. The exact percentage of all the city's voters who support the park.
A sample can't give the exact population value; that would need every voter.
C. The percentage of voters who refused to answer the poll.
Non-response is a different quantity and isn't reported here.
D. The poll's margin of error.
The margin of error is the uncertainty around the 62%, not the 62% itself.

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