The results of polls usually contain a statement that the figures are subject to a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points, 3 percentage points or whatever.

How well the sample represents the population relies on two important statistics – the survey’s margin of error and confidence level. They tell us how well the spoonfuls represent the entire pot.

In the current election cycle, many media reports about polls are not including information about the margin of error.

As the director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, which has been taking the pulse of the public on policy issues and elections for the past 30 years, I’ve noted that people have been paying ...