American Government / Unit 4 Gov 171 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Margin of Error
Captions available
The idea
The margin of error is the range around a poll's reported number inside which the true population value likely falls.
In practice
A candidate at 43 percent with an 8-point margin could sit anywhere from 35 to 51.
Where people slip
Small margins mark quality; an 8-point margin is far too high.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for American Government