Problem Set 1.4.b: Understanding Descriptive and Interferential Statistics

Criterion: Explain the identification of types of data.

Instructions: Read the following and answer the question.

Gun ownership in the United States: Data from Gallup polls over a 40-year period show how gun ownership in the United States has changed. The results are described in the table below, with the percentage of Americans who own guns given in each of 5 decades:

Year %

1972 43

1982 42

1992 48

2002 40

2012 43

Source:Reported athttp://www.gallup.com/poll/1645/Guns.aspx

1.Are the percentages reported here an example of descriptive statistics or interferential statistics? _It states the data outright, so it is descriptive??I'm confused because the data that is for the year 2012 hasn't actually happened so wouldn't that one be inferential? Because it doesn't give a reason for the projected number, I suppose that still falls into descriptive?

2.Based on the percentages given in the table, how has gun ownership in the United States changed over the past 40 years? The number of Americans who own guns increased from 1972 until sometime between 1992 and 2020 where there was a sharp decrease, but it is expected to rise again by 2012.