Free Margin of Error Calculator
Want to clear uncertainty in your sample estimate, try our margin of error calculator. Find the accurate MoE and make your survey interpretation more accurate!
Calculate Margin of Error
The acceptable values of margin of error typically lie between 4% & 8% at a confidence level of 95%
Margin of Error
0
NOTE: Please don’t confuse confidence level with the confidence interval. The latter is just an alternate name for margin of error.
Sample Proportion:
This is the percentage of people in surveys that exhibit certain characteristics.
Sample Size:
The sample size is the number of people you are surveying or studying.
Confidence Level:
The percentage of how closely your sample represents the population.
What is Margin of Error
The margin of error represents how confidently you can trust your sample audience to reflect the opinion and behavior of the population as a whole. The higher the value of the margin of error, the lesser the faith you must have in the sample.
It is not easy to survey a mass audience and get a conclusive opinion. In such a case, a sample audience is surveyed.
With metrics like margin of error, you can estimate the chances of it echoing the preferences of the broader population. For example, when you have a margin of error of 5% and 70% of the sample has given a particular response, it means that about 65% to 75% of the general population has the same opinion.
Why calculate Margin of Error
One of the main reasons why you should calculate MoE is that it helps you understand how close your survey results are likely to be to the actual opinions. Other reasons why you should consider MoE are as follows.
- It helps understand how accurate the survey or study results are.
- It shows potential range of outcomes, helping with better decision-making.
- Compare different surveys fairly and help you see if the differences are meaningful.
How to Calculate Margin of Error?
If you are interested in calculating MoE all on your own, consider using the following formula.
- z is the z-score associated with a confidence interval
- p is the sample proportion (in decimal)
- n is the sample size
Confidence Interval
A confidence interval is about understanding how sure we are about a number we calculated from a sample of data. It gives a range of values that we believe the true number is likely to fall within.
A confidence interval of 95% - 99% is considered to be a great confidence interval.
| Confidence Interval | z-score |
|---|---|
| 80 | 1.28 |
| 85 | 1.44 |
| 90 | 1.65 |
| 95 | 1.96 |
| 98 | 2.33 |
| 99 | 2.58 |
Margin of Error Example
Here’s an example of margin of error. A market research firm conducted a study to find out how many users spend more than 5 hours on social media. They surveyed 1000 users, and 620 people out of it spent more than 5 hours using social media.
Assuming 95% confidence level, we get a z-score=1.96
Sample size n=1000
Sample proportion p=620/1000=0.62
Margin of Error FAQs
1. How can you make the margin of error smaller?
- If the value shows a higher number, it's best to increase the sample size. Another way would be to ensure the consistency of your sample data. The lesser the data variation, the more precise you can expect your results to be.
2. What is an acceptable value for the margin of error?
- By industry standards, the acceptable value of margin of error falls between 4% and 8%. And this is at a confidence level of 95%.
3. What if my margin of error value is zero?
- You can get an infinitesimally small value for the margin of error when the conditions are ideal- i.e., your sample essentially comprises the entire population.
4. What is the acceptable margin of error for a 95 confidence interval?
- In general, a margin of error of ±4% to ±8% is considered acceptable in surveys. However, in truth, the acceptable MoE for a confidence interval of 90 depends on the context of the survey.
5. What is the margin of error for a 90% confidence interval?
- It actually depends on the sample size and variability in the data. Also, typically, the MoE for a 90% confidence interval is about 10% smaller than that for a 95% confidence level.
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