A poll reports that 54 percent of California's population think the
state needs a new leader that can take control of the state budget.
The poll is based on a survey. It should be more properly stated that
54 percent, plus or minus 3percent at the 95 percent confidence leve
look for tis in a leader. Explain the numbers.

Because not every member of California's population was questioned,
the poll result is based on a sample.  As a result, it is variable (if
the poll was taken again, the result would likely be different). The
confidence level expresses how reliable the estimate is.  In this
case, we are 95% confident that the unknown percentage of California's
population that thinks that the state needs a new leader is between 54
- 3 and 54 + 3, or between 51% and 57%.  However, there is still a 5%
chance that the sample is not within three points of the true
percentage of California's population that thinks that the state needs
a new leader.  The 54% is determined by the poll result (the sample
mean), and the plus or minus 3% is determined by calculating two
standard deviations of the sample mean.

In summation, the statement that we are 95% confident that the unknown
percentage lies between 51% and 57% is shorthand for saying that we
arrived at these numbers by a method that gives correct results 95% of
the time.

Sincerely,

Wonko

Reference: Introduction to the Practice of Statistics, Moore & McCabe,
WH Freeman & Co., 1989, pages 446-447

Its stating that 54% of California?s population thinks the current
leader is not up to their standards. When people are asked a survey
they are asked to give a percentage or answer based on a 1-10 scale. 
Anything under 90-95% is deemed unsatisfactory.

Derek