Why is an understanding of research techniques important - Essay Example

Understanding research techniques Question The press release and news story here, provide the findings of the study by the Pew Research Center, an organization that focuses on analyzing the attitudes, trends, and behaviors that have characterized American politics and the polarization of the same. The survey on how Americans view and perceive other religious groups was conducted one thousand adults and the funding for the research came from part sponsorship from the John D and Catherine T. Mac Arthur Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in conjunction with Jeane M.

Bertsch and Don C. Essentially, the June 2014 press release meets the requirements posted by CASRO (Council of American Research Organization) in which a study has to have a sponsor so as to support its successful completion. The director of Survey Research at Pew Research Mr. Scott Keeter explains why they chose to sample 10,000 instead of 1, 000 in which the reason is that the research was able to describe the attitudes of people in smaller fragments within the larger public. Another requirement by CASRO met in the July 2014 article by Pew Research is that it provides actual dates of when the survey was conducted are documented and also indicates the actual group that conducted the same, which in this case is the American Trends Panel, an arm created by the Pew Research Center.

However, neither the press release nor the article provides the exact wording for the questions as required, hence influencing one of the shot falls on the same. Other information available as presented in the survey finding that a person reading the report would find helpful are data coding for easy interpretation of confusing data and analysis of the same. The survey also provides the data collection methods applied in order for the panelist to obtain the required attitudes of the sampled population as part of studying political polarization.

In total the guidelines applied in the press release are five while one is applied in the full survey report. Question 2The media coverage of the June 2014 press release partly serves the public interest, but is somehow a political tool that politicians can use to gain popularity and win in elections. The positive trait brought about by this press release is that it helps in promoting ethnic tolerance among ethnic groups as it does not portray any of them in bad light. It also serves as a way of evaluating the stereotypes associated with certain ethnic groups and trying to work against for the good of the American population despite the religious affiliations that each may belong to.

Additionally, the study report also provides insights on the religious affiliation that Americans are not most receptive towards based on existing prejudices and stereotypes. This can be used as a unifying factor in which politicians can advocate for the elimination of these prejudices in order for people to be treated as individuals and not based on whether they are Muslims or Hindus. Based on this, this proper media coverage of this July 2014 article will help in creating awareness and sensitization of the American public against the prejudices that they hold towards people from other ethnic groups, which is a matter of public interest.

Work citedGoo, Sara. “How Pew Research conducted the polarization survey and launched a new research panel.” Pew Research Center. 12 June 2014. Web. 21 October 2014.Pew Research Center. “How Americans Feel About Religious Groups: Jews, Catholics & Evangelists Rated Warmly, Atheists and Muslims More Coldly.” Pew Research Religious & Public Life project. 16 July 2014. Web. 21 October 2014.