How to produce high approval ratings for Obama

[BloodEclipse]

Steve McCann


Just read an AP report: the percentage of Americans that think the country is on the right track rose to 48% in March as compared to 40% in February. In light of the unemployment rising, the debacle in foreign affairs etc, I found it unlikely. So I looked into the details of the poll.


[FONT=times new roman,times]73% of the Democrats polled thought we were on the right track[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]17% of Independents[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]10% of Republicans[/FONT]

[FONT=times new roman,times]That made it even more suspicious as to how those numbers could result in a 48% overall right track vote.[/FONT]


[FONT=times new roman,times]So digging deeper, it turns out [/FONT]

[FONT=times new roman,times]36% of those polled were Democrats[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]18% Republican[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]26% Independent[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]18% None claimed[/FONT]

[FONT=times new roman,times]In the 2008 election the spread between Democrats and Republicans was 6.5 percentage points not 18 and independents made up 22% of the vote not 26%.[/FONT]

[FONT=times new roman,times]It appears that there have been similar distortions in the various polls measuring Obama's approval ratings.[/FONT]

[FONT=times new roman,times]When the numbers don't work for you, just change the parameters and you can fool all the mindless sheep![/FONT]

 

[RogerB]

[FONT=times new roman,times]When the numbers don't work for you, just change the parameters and you can fool all the mindless sheep![/FONT]

its easy, here's a video that shows you how to do it!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcYbnxA-qDY"]YouTube - Funny math[/ame]

 

[Scout]

I hate polls because those conducting the polls can manipulate the number to show whatever they want.


I've seen funny math before, but I still had to watch it again!

 

[citizenvain]

I remember loving my college stats classes, but CAN NOT remember a damn thing from the two courses I took. But one thing you will never, ever convince me of is that a poll of a 1000 (yes a thousand) randomly called people in a county of several millions can even be remotely accurate no matter what the issue. They call it sampling. To me it would seem if you have millions of people, you would have to "sample" at least tens of thousands...but I could just be forgetting who such a small number for sampling is justified.

I saw something that even though Obama won the electoral vote (in a landslide?) that the popular vote between him and McCain was actually very close. I'm not saying anything negative about the electoral vote, but again, one of those things with numbers. Did I read erroneous information?