Question

in a scientific poll, what sample size is generally sufficient for accurately measuring national public opinion?

Explanation:

Identify standard scientific polling requirements

In public opinion research and political science, a national scientific poll typically requires a random sample size of approximately 1,000 to 1,500 respondents to achieve a reliable margin of error (usually around \(\pm 3\%\)).

Evaluate the given options

• 10, 100, and 500 are too small to represent a diverse national population accurately.
• 5,000 is unnecessarily large and costly for standard polling, yielding diminishing returns in accuracy.
• 1,000 is the standard, generally sufficient sample size used by major polling organizations.

Answer:

• 10
• 100
• 500
• 1,000 (Correct answer)
• 5,000