By November 2013, Polling on Gun Control Had Returned to Its

question 39

Multiple Choice

By November 2013, polling on gun control had returned to its pre-Newtown levels. This shows us that:

• A) other cues such as partisanship were more important than the Newtown incident in forming opinions.
• B) Americans have inherently unstable opinions.
• C) the media has an important influence on public opinion.
• D) the original polls most likely did not involve a random sample.
• E) gun control is an issue that we should not conduct polls about.

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Definitions:

Significance Testing

A statistical method used to determine if the results of a study are likely to be true, or if they occurred by chance.

Cross-Sectional Research

A research method that involves analyzing data from a population, or a representative subset, at a specific point in time.

Theory

A well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that is acquired through the scientific method and repeatedly tested and confirmed through observation and experimentation.

Reliability

The degree to which an assessment tool produces stable and consistent results.