Collecting Data of a Survey Relating to Political Attitudes
Dustin T. David
Professor Geva
POLS 209
24 April 2013
DC-Final
In the initial assigned Data Collection exercise I exposed subjects to a survey relating to political attitudes. In the study I was interested to see how the use of American foreign aid to a certain nation and its relation to the U.S. would affect public approval of the use of foreign aid given. The subjects were picked at random on a volunteer basis and then administered the survey. Once subjects were done and the data was collected the subjects were debriefed on the purpose of the study and thanked for taking part in the exercise. The data was then coded into excel and there was use of statistical analysis in interpreting the results. Traditional hypotheses have stated that there is no difference of public approval ratings given a particular country’s relationship status with the U.S. Once the statistical analysis was finished I could then prove/disprove my hypothesis: A country’s relationship status to the U.S. will influence public approval of that particular country receiving U.S. foreign aid. An experimental approach was used in formulating the hypothesis because there was a high degree of control and because I was testing for a cause and effect relationship. The participants of the study were voluntarily picked at random from a pool of twenty students at a neighborhood gathering. Each subject was given two surveys, each set of the two surveys having different scenarios. The subjects had to fill out the information box asking of their gender, age, education, and political affiliation. Following the fill-in-the-blank information box were the different scenarios. There were four basic scenarios given which are listed below: 1. Foreign Aid was given for humanitarian purposes and the country voted with the U.S. in the U.N. assembly. 2. Foreign Aid was given for humanitarian purposes and the country voted against the U.S. in the U.N. assembly. 3. Foreign Aid was given for
Professor Geva
POLS 209
24 April 2013
DC-Final
In the initial assigned Data Collection exercise I exposed subjects to a survey relating to political attitudes. In the study I was interested to see how the use of American foreign aid to a certain nation and its relation to the U.S. would affect public approval of the use of foreign aid given. The subjects were picked at random on a volunteer basis and then administered the survey. Once subjects were done and the data was collected the subjects were debriefed on the purpose of the study and thanked for taking part in the exercise. The data was then coded into excel and there was use of statistical analysis in interpreting the results. Traditional hypotheses have stated that there is no difference of public approval ratings given a particular country’s relationship status with the U.S. Once the statistical analysis was finished I could then prove/disprove my hypothesis: A country’s relationship status to the U.S. will influence public approval of that particular country receiving U.S. foreign aid. An experimental approach was used in formulating the hypothesis because there was a high degree of control and because I was testing for a cause and effect relationship. The participants of the study were voluntarily picked at random from a pool of twenty students at a neighborhood gathering. Each subject was given two surveys, each set of the two surveys having different scenarios. The subjects had to fill out the information box asking of their gender, age, education, and political affiliation. Following the fill-in-the-blank information box were the different scenarios. There were four basic scenarios given which are listed below: 1. Foreign Aid was given for humanitarian purposes and the country voted with the U.S. in the U.N. assembly. 2. Foreign Aid was given for humanitarian purposes and the country voted against the U.S. in the U.N. assembly. 3. Foreign Aid was given for