4.21 Appraising a poll. In January 2015, The Wall Street Journal published an article on satisfaction with the U.S. economy and other issues. The article noted 45% of Americans were very or somewhat satisfied with the state of the U.S. economy, even though 49% felt America is in a state of decline. News articles tend to be brief in describing sample surveys. Here is part of The Wall Street Journal’s description of this poll:

The . . . poll was based on nationwide telephone interviews of 800 adults, including 280 respondents who use only a cellphone. . . . Individuals were selected proportionate to the nation’s population in accordance with a probability sample. . . . The data’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.46 percentage points.

Page 80 lists several “questions to ask” about an opinion poll. What answers does The Wall Street Journal give to each of these questions?