trying to decide between parameter and statistic for the 2 questions below. I think it is statistic for both but not sure.
1. A local newspaper conducted a survey last week. Of the 2300 subscribers, 1276 responded. Based on the survey, the editor concludes that 95% of the newspaper's subscribers will renew their subscription
2. Each senior at Jackson County High School completes a survey. The principal concludes that 83% of the students at Jackson County High School plan to attend a college or university after graduating high school.
Thanks.
Parameter uses all the subjects in a category, while a statistic only uses a portion.
Use that information to re-evaluate your answers.
To determine whether the given values should be considered parameters or statistics, let's first understand the definitions of these terms:
- Parameter: A parameter is a characteristic of a population. It is a value that describes the entire population of interest. We usually don't know the true value of a parameter, so we estimate it.
- Statistic: A statistic is a characteristic of a sample. It is a value that describes a subset of a population (i.e., a sample) that we collect data from. We can calculate the value of a statistic using the data obtained from the sample.
Now let's analyze the given questions:
1. A local newspaper conducted a survey last week. Of the 2300 subscribers, 1276 responded. Based on the survey, the editor concludes that 95% of the newspaper's subscribers will renew their subscription.
In this case, the percentage of subscribers who will renew their subscription is based solely on the responded subscribers within the survey conducted by the local newspaper. Since it is based on a sample (1276 respondents), it is considered a statistic. Therefore, the answer is statistic.
2. Each senior at Jackson County High School completes a survey. The principal concludes that 83% of the students at Jackson County High School plan to attend a college or university after graduating high school.
Similar to the previous question, the conclusion about the percentage of students who plan to attend a college or university is based on a survey conducted among the seniors at Jackson County High School. Again, this is based on a sample (the seniors who completed the survey). Hence, it is also considered a statistic. Therefore, the answer is statistic.
In summary, for both questions, the values provided are statistics since they are based on data collected from samples rather than describing the entire population.