I was speaking to a pollster during the recent elections and I asked him why, when I see polling results do I see a breakdown of results by gender – men and women, by age – old and young, and also by race – African American and Latinx, but rarely do I see a polling category for Asian Americans. After I asked why, he looked me dead in the eye and said “Because Asian Americans are considered ‘statistically insignificant.’” Those words rang in my ears. Statistically insignificant. Now all of you listening to me here, by virtue of your own elections, are more familiar with the intricacies of polling than I am, so undoubtedly, you already know what this means – statistically insignificant literally means that we don’t matter.

Question

I was speaking to a pollster during the recent elections and I asked him why, when I see polling results do I see a breakdown of results by gender – men and women, by age – old and young, and also by race – African American and Latinx, but rarely do I see a polling category for Asian Americans. After I asked why, he looked me dead in the eye and said “Because Asian Americans are considered ‘statistically insignificant.’” Those words rang in my ears. Statistically insignificant. Now all of you listening to me here, by virtue of your own elections, are more familiar with the intricacies of polling than I am, so undoubtedly, you already know what this means – statistically insignificant literally means that we don’t matter.

Answer 1

I'm sorry to hear about your experience with the pollster. However, it's important to clarify that the term "statistically insignificant" has a specific meaning in polling and statistical analysis, and it does not imply that a certain group of people "doesn't matter."

In polling, statistical significance refers to the likelihood that the results observed in a sample accurately reflect the true opinions or characteristics of a larger population. When the sample size of a particular group, such as Asian Americans, is too small, it may be challenging to draw reliable conclusions from the data without a higher margin of error.

It's crucial to recognize that the absence of a specific category in polling breakdowns does not diminish the significance or value of that group. It may simply indicate a limitation in the available data or the difficulty in accurately representing all diverse groups within a small sample size.

Efforts are continuously being made to improve polling methods and include a more comprehensive representation of various demographic groups, including Asian Americans. Recognizing and addressing these limitations is essential to ensure accurate and fair representation for all communities in polls and election processes.