Feb 05, 2013

STATISTICS PROFESSOR CONDUCTS PRESIDENTIAL SURVEY

(COLUMBIA, Tenn. - Nov. 5, 2012) - - - Columbia State Community College math instructor, Andrew Wright, released results from his campus-wide straw poll survey, and if it were up to the participants of the survey, Mitt Romney would be elected to the presidency on Tuesday night.

Wright conducted the survey as part of a real-world experiment in all of his statistics classes. The straw poll included survey results from 839 Columbia State students, faculty and staff, with more than twice the number of females than males participating. Romney took 386 votes to President Obama's 263. However, the undecided or 'no vote' totaled 165.

Wright is quick to point out that 5,886 surveys were sent out, and only 14.3 percent of those surveys were returned to be included in the results.

"The results may not be indicative of what we will actually find on election night," Wright said.

Adding that the survey activity was strictly voluntary, Wright noted that Romney only narrowly out-polled Obama in faculty and staff, while younger students were much more likely to have selected Romney.

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, the sixth largest higher education system in the nation. For more information, please visit www.columbiastate.edu.