The
margin of error is a statistic expressing the amount of random
sampling error in a
survey's results. It asserts a likelihood (not a certainty) that the result from a
sample is close to the number one would get if the whole
population had been queried. The likelihood of a result being "within the margin of error" is itself a probability, commonly 95%, though other values are sometimes used. The larger the margin of error, the less confidence one should have that the poll's reported results are close to the true figures; that is, the figures for the whole population. Margin of error applies whenever a population is incompletely sampled.