(a) Define opinion poll.
(b). state any four factors that make the conduct of opinion poll unreliable in West Africa
Explanation
a. Opinion poll; Is a scientific method of measuring view, opinions, and choice of the people based on predication of social, political and economic issues facing a state. E.g. Popularity of a government or predicting election results.
b. (i). Lack of expertise knowledge by officials conducting the polls.
(ii). Reliable methods which may produce accurate results are expensive
(iii). High level of illiteracy and ignorance among the people.
(iv). Problems of analyzing statistical data/poor knowledge of statistical analysis.
(v). Lack of objectivity among the respondents/ interviewees.
(vi). People get scared of being interviewed.
(vii). Poor communication network
(viii). Lack of objectivity among the pollsters.
(ix). Poor funding of poll
(x). Poor knowledge of instrument design and administration e.g. misleading sampling techniques, incomplete or inaccurate questions and structured interviews formats.
(xi). Principle of confidentiality in the civil and public service
(xii). Falsification of information/data by both sources and data collectors.
(xiii). Nature of Government e.g. military/civilian.