Okuzeka
Statistics vocabulary · Estimation and Inference

Margin of error

Meaning in statistics, with examples

nounCore term

In statistics, margin of error means: The amount added to and subtracted from an estimate to form a confidence interval, showing how far the sample result may differ from the true population value.

In Turkish: hata payı

How it is used

Common in opinion polls and survey reports: '48% support the plan, with a margin of error of ±3 percentage points'. It usually refers to a 95% confidence level and covers only sampling error, not problems such as biased questions.

Example sentences

  1. With 1,000 respondents, the margin of error is about ±3 percentage points.

  2. The difference between the two brands is within the margin of error, so we can't say which is more popular.

Common collocations

  • within the margin of error
  • a margin of error of ±3 points
  • reduce the margin of error
  • large margin of error
  • confidence intervalA range of values, calculated from sample data, that is likely to contain the true population value; a 95% interval comes from a method that captures the true value in 95% of repeated samples.
  • sampling errorThe natural difference between a value calculated from a sample and the true population value, which arises simply because only part of the population was studied.
  • sample sizeThe number of observations or participants included in a study, usually written as n (or N for the total).
  • standard errorThe standard deviation of an estimate, such as a sample mean, across repeated samples; it shows how precise the estimate is likely to be.

More terms: Estimation and Inference

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: