How is it that in the U.S.,surveys of 1,000 are accepted as representative of the entire country?

Question

I’ve noticed most U.S. polls query around 1,000 people and sometimes even less. Somehow that qualifies for headlines like “Americans say…” or “Most Americans…” How is it acceptable that 0.0002% of the population is accepted as representative?

In: Other

Answer 1

If your sample set is representative of the total population and is significantly large enough, then you can extrapolate sample results like that. There will be some statistical error, but you can make statements with a mathematically determined certainty.