Busn311 – Quantitative Methods and Analysis

American Intercontinental University

BUSN311 – Quantitative Methods and Analysis

September 13, 2015

Abstract

The purpose of this report is to analyze how surveys or polls are obtained and how they are used for predictions in certain outcomes in different areas. Why are political polls so important to the public or even the individuals running for office? There will be three different surveys analyzed; political, entertainment, and general survey. Do you think polls are something we should put a lot of thought into?

Part 1: Survey Analysis

Introduction

Surveys and polls are sources that are used to get opinions from individuals in order to see how each person thinks of a particular idea or what they think of individuals that may be running for office. Everyone has their own opinion but that doesn’t mean we all think like each other and this is when a survey can come in handy. This is how we can get predictions of what each person likes or thinks about a certain idea and we can translate this in order to provide this information to consumers, politicians and the public.

Entertainment survey from Newsstand (Proquest)

This poll was taken by SRI Research Center and the results were reported by entertainment magazine Electronic Media which also sponsored the poll. “There were one thousand people surveyed by telephone during a summer period. The poll question was if a major movie became available the same time the movie hit the theaters, where would you watch the move, at home or in the movie theater. The responses to the survey were that 62% would rather rent the movie from the video store while 34% would go to the theater to see the movie” (Siskel, 1988).

This would be a very accurate survey by asking one thousand people this gives a pretty good idea of how most Americans would rather be in the comfort of their own homes instead of spending money in a movie theater even if the prices were raised a bit. While enjoying the movie at home you can enjoy the same services you would at a movie theater and save money on the drinks and snacks. There were about 4% that didn’t go in either direction of the survey. This survey is great for video rentals because they can see that individuals still love renting movies and for the most part they still go to the theaters also. This is a great tool for each industry to help them to see what consumers want and it is their job to ensure that they provide the things that is needed in order to attract the customers they are looking for. We all love movies and everyone wants to be comfortable while watching them whether it is at home or in the movie theater.

Political survey (from Gallup or Pew Research)

This political survey can be found at Gallup.com and it is a poll that shows as of now that Hillary Clinton is a favorable candidate among U.S. black voters among the Democratic challengers. “This data was collected by Gallup’s Daily tracking in which they used telephone interviews conducted from July 8-August 8, 2015” (McCarthy & Dugan, 2015). “The poll surveyed 1,684 black adults from the age of 18 and above and all living in all 50 states and Washington D.C.” (McCarthy & Dugan, 2015).

Considering they only surveyed almost 1,700 black citizens we can’t really say how accurate this would be considering the number of black Americans in the United States. I would add that blacks statically vote for Democrats because they feel that they actually work for the lower and middle class Americans which are common for most African Americans. Hillary Clinton being a former first lady and working for the Obama administration really has helped her because she has become a familiar face to a lot of Americans. Even though she has become a familiar face does this imply that she would be great at running the country? I think polls are great and even though we may like an individual, there are so many other things to consider especially for someone who is going to lead our country.

General survey (from Gallup or Pew Research)

The general survey of same sex marriage is something that is changing the way Americans view the traditional marriage. “The Pew Research Center survey, conducted May 12-18 among 2,002 adults, finds that partisans are as divided on this issue as ever: Today, 65% of Democrats and an identical percentage of independents favor gay marriage; only about one third (34%) of Republicans do so” (Support for Same-Sex Marriage at Record High, but Key Segments Remain Opposed, 2015). Now that same sex marriage is becoming legal in most states this is something to really be concerned about. According to this poll, “A 57% majority of Americans now favor allowing same-sex marriage and 39% oppose. As recently as five years ago, more opposed (48%) same-sex marriage than supported it (42%)” (Support for Same-Sex Marriage at Record High, but Key Segments Remain Opposed, 2015).

This poll is very accurate because there are more individuals who are now becoming more open with their sexuality and are looking to marry the person they love whether it be the same sex or traditional opposite sex. I do think whether a politician is in favor or not they will actually say they are in order to receive votes from the gay and lesbian community. In my opinion this is wrong because the world wasn’t for individuals of the same sex to wed and how can a person keep their family history going if you have individuals of the same sex getting married.

Overview

Each of the three surveys are very different and they all have some very valid views of how we as Americans think in today’s society. In the entertainment survey I think this survey makes a great point that individuals would rather watch a movie from home rather than go and spend money in a movie theater. They would actually save money and could have all of the same snacks and things that the theater serves but in the comfort of their home.

The political survey is good to a certain extent. Hillary Clinton is a very prominent and well known figure in politics but I question whether she would be the right choice