Political Polls

 

The use of statistics has become one of the most significant aspects of the modern world. This is because it is used in a diversity of ways, including in making predictions concerning a different aspects of life including predicting human behavior. It is important to note that statistics are also used in the conduct of political polls, with the aim of determining the potential winner of elections or the support that different issues have within the public (Sabato and Yom-Tov 2020). It is noteworthy that because of this consideration, it becomes necessary to make sure that there is the promotion of a scenario where there is the use of accurate statistics.

Political polls have in recent years come to be viewed with suspicion because of the manner through which there have essentially been fewer results that have come out as predicted. This is the case with the 2016 presidential election, where despite Hillary Clinton having been predicted to win by a wide margin, Trump was able to beat her by not only winning a majority of states, but also winning the Electoral College (Campbell et al. 2017). The significance of this can be seen in the manner through which society has essentially lost its trust in polls, despite their continued use by most media outlets.

It is necessary to consider the manner through which statistics have come to play an important role in social issues. This is because of the fact that most humans find it quite difficult to take on a neutral ground on issues and instead are governed by their biases. A consequence of this scenario is that they end up creating an environment within which it becomes necessary to have statistics as a means of verifying the evidence that is present concerning a diversity of issues. Furthermore, it ensures that there is the establishment of a scenario where there is the efficient evaluation of evidence in order to establish facts.

Moreover, statistics can be used to ensure that there is the promotion of a valid argument. This can be seen through the way that individuals in society end up believing arguments that are backed up by statistics rather than pure statements (Depaepe and Simon 2009). This is especially the case in the academic community, where a significant number will often require that there is the presence of statistics in order for evidence to be verified. Furthermore, the presence of statistical evidence is crucial to advancing relevant arguments which can be verified and referenced for future purposes.