So although it is a popularly known term, it has a specific application in survey research and it won’t always be relevant to your market research data. Additionally, the respondents volunteer for the panel in return for benefits, so they are not randomly selected from the population size at large. It’s not appropriate if the sample has been selected in a non-random way, for example when you use an opt-in research panel.Ī research panel sample is typically a quota sample, where participants are selected because they have particular characteristics. That means the survey respondents have been selected at random from your population as a whole and every population member has a known, non-zero probability of being included. Margin of error is used when you have a random or probability sample. The larger your random sample (the more responses you get), the smaller your margin of error will be and the more confidence you’ll have that your sample results are reliable.įind out how big your sample size should be with our free calculator When is margin of error used? A plus or minus 2 percentage points means that if we ask this question using a simple random sample 100 times, 95 of those times it would come out at the estimated value plus or minus 2 points. Margin of error provides a clearer understanding of what a survey’s estimate of a population characteristic means. The figure tells you that the true result may differ from the percentage figure provided, and how much more or less than the stated percentage the reality might be. ![]() Researchers use this to provide additional information that helps you interpret their results and to understand how the study was carried out. You’ll recognize it because it’s expressed with a plus and minus sign together, e.g. Margin of error is information that’s provided alongside the results of a piece of research, such as a poll, survey, or a scientific study. While it’s impossible for survey results to be completely representative all of the time, you can figure out how close you are based on the margin of error built into your survey.īut what exactly is a margin of error, how can you calculate it and how much can or should it impact the level of confidence you have in your survey results?įree eBook: 2022 global market research trends report What is margin of error? When essential business decisions are being made based on survey data from market research, you need to know the data you’re using is accurate and reliable.īut can any market research - or any research in general - be 100% accurate? How confident are you that your sample accurately reflects the population size as a whole? Click here to jump to our Margin of Error Calculator
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