CASE-STUDY REPORT

CIA 3 -Sampling Techniques

Submitted by;
Srinanda R K (22112337)
Suhani Lariya(22112338)
4 BSc EA

Under the guidance of:

Dr. Sweety Kadyan
Department of Data Science

CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Pune, Lavasa Campus

22th April 2024

 INDEX

S. No Title of Content Page

No.
1 Title 3
2 Introduction 4
3 Problem statement and Objectives of study 5
4 Methodology 6-8

5 Data and Analysis 7-19

6 Discussion and Results 20-23

7 Conclusion 24

8 References 25

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 I. TITLE

“Understanding the Impact of Social Media on Public Opinion: Insights

from a Stratified Random Sample Analysis”

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 II. INTRODUCTION

The Survey aims to explore the influence of social media on public opinion and thinking. We seek

to understand how social media shapes people's beliefs/opinions and thought processes. Given the

permeative role of social media in our lives, it's crucial to grasp its impact on our views regarding

significant issues. By conducting this study, we aim to gain insights into how social media affects

society and how individuals perceive and process information.

Understanding the sway of social media on public opinion is crucial in today's society. Social media

platforms possess the ability to mold people's beliefs and attitudes, thus carrying profound

implications for society at large. By comprehending how social media influences us, we can better

navigate its impact and make well-informed decisions regarding the content we engage with.

Moreover, individuals can utilize this understanding to craft their decisions that facilitate healthy

discourse and combat misinformation on social media platforms. Overall, investigating the

interplay between social media and public opinion is crucial for fostering a society that is both

well-informed and resilient.

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 III. PROBLEM STATEMENT
The problem statement is to investigate the influence of social media on public opinion and
thinking processes. Specifically, we aim to understand how different demographic groups engage
with social media, the extent to which they are influenced by online content, and the implications
for society. Through our study, we seek to address the following questions:

1. How does social media usage vary across different age groups?
2. To what extent does social media exposure impact individuals' beliefs and perceptions?
3. How often do individuals encounter content on social media that challenges their existing
beliefs?
4. Do individuals believe that social media has a significant effect on what people think about
social and political topics?
5. Have individuals taken any actions ,solely based on what they have seen on social media,
such as signing petitions or attending events?
6. How strongly do individuals feel that social media has influenced their thinking or
opinions?

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The objective of our study is to explore the influence of social media on public opinion and
thinking processes. We aim to analyze how different demographic groups engage with social media
platforms, understand the extent of social media's impact on individuals' beliefs, and explore the
frequency of encountering challenging content.

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 IV. METHODOLOGY

The study focuses on examining how social media influences public opinion and cognitive
processes. It entails a systematic approach with various steps and factors to consider to ensure
accurate insights are obtained. A methodical process was adhered to in order to acquire precise
findings.

Research design:
a. Problem statement and objective : As discussed , impact of social media on public
opinion.
b. Data collection involved the distribution of online questionnaires comprising both
objective and open-ended questions. The primary objective was to collect data from
four main age groups: 13-17, 18-30, 31 -50, and 50+. The questionnaires were
circulated across various online platforms accessible to the general public. Each
questionnaire consisted of 10 questions specifically designed to address the study's
objectives.The survey included questions related to social media usage, perceptions,
and behaviors.
c. Sampling Strategy : The study employs a stratified sampling survey to ensure
representation across different demographic groups, such as age. This approach
allows for the exploration of variations in social media usage and its impact on
public opinion.

Sampling Procedure:
a. Target Population :The target population encompassed individuals from all four age
groups and diverse demographic backgrounds. Due to the large population size, a
sample of 252 individuals was selected for the study for practicality and
convenience.
b. Sampling Frame: The sampling frame comprised online platforms and social media
networks where participants were recruited.
c. Sample size : 200 was the sample size for study.

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 d. Sampling Method: For the study , Stratified Random sampling was employed to
reach a broad and diverse sample of participants.
e. The survey was done on a random basis and collected over a period of one
month.The ethical considerations were adhered during the sample collection and
results.
f. Likert scales were chosen for their efficiency and ability to capture nuanced
responses, allowing for a comprehensive examination of participants' attitudes and
behaviors.

Ethical considerations:
a. Informed Consent: Participants were provided with informed consent information
before participating in the survey. They were assured of their anonymity and
confidentiality.
b. Privacy and Confidentiality: Measures were implemented to protect participants'
privacy and confidentiality throughout the research process

Limitations:
a. Limited Data Availability: The study faced limitations due to the availability of
insufficient data, which could hinder the depth of the analysis. Incomplete data may
restrict the ability to draw conclusions or identify significant patterns or trends.
b. Unequal Representation Across Demographics: There may be disparities in the
representation of respondents across demographic features, such as age groups.
While efforts were made to include individuals from diverse backgrounds, certain
demographic groups may be overrepresented or underrepresented in the sample.
This imbalance could potentially introduce bias into the analysis, particularly in the
context of random sampling methods where each member of the population does not
have an equal chance of being selected, like stratified random sampling.
c. Challenges in Converting Qualitative Data: The qualitative nature of the data poses
challenges in its conversion into a numerical format for analysis. Qualitative
responses often require coding or categorization to quantify the information they
contain. This process can be time-consuming, especially when dealing with a large
volume of qualitative data. Moreover, the subjective nature of qualitative data may

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 introduce interpretation biases during the conversion process.
d. Impact on Analysis Focus: The time and effort invested in converting qualitative
data into a suitable format for analysis may detract from the focus on data analysis
itself. The depth and scope of the analysis may be limited, potentially affecting the
quality of the study's findings and conclusions.

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 V. DATA AND ANALYSIS

For this analysis a total of 252 rows of data was collected using the primary data collection method.
The following were initial columns of the data:

1. BeyondTheScreenUnravelingTheInf_Id
2. Age2
3. Gender
4. HowOftenDoYouUseSocialMedia
5. WhichSocialMediaPlatformsDoYouUseTheMost
6. WhichIsYourPrimarySourceOfNews
7. HaveYouEverSeenSomethingOnSocialMediaThatMadeYouThinkDifferentlyAboutAnIssue
8. DoYouFeelThatSocialMediaExposesYouToAWiderRangeOfOpinionsThanYouWouldEncou
nterOffline
9. HowOftenDoYouEncounterContentOnSocialMediaThatChallengesYourExistingBeliefsOrO
pinions
10. DoYouAgreeThatSocialMediaHasABigEffectOnWhatPeopleThinkAboutSocialAndPolitical
Topics
11. HaveYouEverDoneSomethingEgSignAPetitionOrGoToAnEventBasedOnWhatYouSawOnS
ocialMedia
12. PleaseIndicateTheExtentToWhichYouFeelThatSocialMediaHasInfluencedYourThinkingOr
Opinion
13. WhatRoleDoYouBelieveSocialMediaPlaysInShapingPublicOpinionAndAnyonesThinking
14. Entry_Status
15. Entry_DateCreated
16. Entry_DateSubmitted
17. Entry_DateUpdated

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From this, the “BeyondTheScreenUnravelingTheInf_Id” was removed as it was unnecessary for the
analysis. Similarly, other columns such as “Entry_Status”, “Entry_DateCreated”,
“Entry_DateSubmitted”, and “Entry_DateUpdated” were also dropped. Then the column named
“WhatRoleDoYouBelieveSocialMediaPlaysInShapingPublicOpinionAndAnyonesThinking” was
also dropped.

After this, while we were starting to observe the data, we noticed that the data had around 50
missing values in 20 rows. Hence, they were all removed using Python’s `drop` function. After
removing all the missing values, we were left with 232 rows of data. Then, stratified sampling was

implemented. The data was made into different strata using age as the primary factor. Using Python
the proportion of each strata in the sample was observed, and they were stored in a variable. Then,
there was another Python code instructed towards the dataset which considered the proportions and
proportionally allocated the data randomly to the sample by keeping a random state as 42.
Then, the data was stratified into the sample.

Since the data is entirely qualitative, the data columns were given numerical labels.
The variables were also given workable names.

Graphical Analysis
1.

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 (1.1)

This graph(1.1) shows the distribution of the participant’s age in the sample. This is true to the
population as the proportions of strata were the same for the population and sample. Here we can
observe that the age group 18-30, were the highest being more than 80, second being the age 50+
(this might not be the case in real life, however from the survey we collected many 50+ year old
people happened to respond) where we received 40+ responses, third highest being 31-50 age
group people, and finally 13-17, were very less and they are not given the permission to
independently access technology in many regions of India.

2.

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 (1.2)
The graph(1.2) shows that the sample happens to have more responses from the female population
than from male population.

3.

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 (1.3)
The graph (1.3) shows that almost most of the people use social media everyday, and second most
are people that use social media several times a week. Then next three category of people i.e.,
people who use social media rarely, occasionally, and never count to very less.

4.

(1.4)
The graph(1.4) shows which social media platforms people use the most. From the graph, it can be
observed that people use Instagram and YouTube the most, followed by Facebook and WhatsApp.
Facebook and WhatsApp having more count than Reddit and Discord implies that there are more
old people who responded to the survey than younger people.

5.

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 (1.5)
From the graph(1.5), we can observe that the primary source of information, which traditionally
was Television and Newspapers. However, the younger generation finds social media as their
primary source of information. We can also observe how little to no one uses radio as their primary
source of information, implying how outdated radios are. The second primary source of
information is online news websites show how humans are so much depending on
internet-dependent sources for their day-to-day activities.

6.

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 (1.6)

The graph(1.6) shows if people have seen something on social media that made them think
differently about an issue. For this, most people responded ‘No’. This could be due to various
reasons. This could imply that people are mature enough not to believe everything they see on
social media. This could also mean that people might be hesitant to accept that social media
influences them. People who responded ‘Yes’ are half the people who answered ‘No’.

7.

(1.7)
The graph (1.7) shows how frequently people encounter content that generally challenges their
views. Here, we can observe that many people have responded with a count as rarely. This means
that they don’t come across content that challenges views. We can also observe that some of them
have responded that they face those contents occasionally and very few have responded that they
face it frequently. This is true as social media works by providing contents that align with what
people think. People are given with contents that they wish to see.

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8.

(1.8)

This graph discusses whether social media exposes people to broader opinions. We can observe
here that many people agree that social media exposes them to a broader range of opinions. Here,
people might be trying to mean that they have the opportunity to explore the entire world through
their smartphones and the internet. The following highest response is that many people strongly
disagree with this. Some people are just neutral about that.

9.

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 (1.9)
From the graph (1.9), we can observe that people aged 18-30 are highly influenced. This is due to
their age and their early exposure to social media. People of 31-50, also fall in the influenced
category. However, comparatively, there are many 50+ who are less influenced. We can also
observe that there are no extremely influential people in 31-50 and 50+.

10.

(1.10)
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The graph (1.10) shows the relationship between how frequently a person comes across challenging
content from social media and how frequently they take action in real life. In other words, this
graph explains how social media affects a person's behavior in real life. We can observe that people
who come across challenging content rarely and frequently are less likely to take action. In
contrast, people who come across challenging content occasionally are more likely to take action in
real life. This does not provide proper sense. However, this could mean that people who come
across challenging content frequently are used to getting challenging content hence they don’t get
influenced by it. Whereas people who get challenging content rarely are also less likely to get
influenced by it. However, people who get challenging content occasionally may not be used to that
and might get influenced by it. Hence, it is quite reasonable to believe that.

Test Results:
● Chi-Square test
The chi-square test is performed to determine whether there is a significant association between
two categorical variables. In this case, we are using the chi-square test to assess whether there is a
significant association between individuals' perceptions of social media exposure to a wider range
of opinions and their frequency of social media usage.

By analyzing the association between these two variables using the chi-square test, we can gain
insights into whether individuals' perceptions of social media exposure vary based on how often
they use social media. This information can help us understand how social media usage frequency
might influence people's perceptions of the platform's role in exposing them to a wider range of
opinions.
So, for the test ,we have used Python .
-After selecting the targeted columns/features to be used in test , we proceed further.
- We constructed a contingency table (also known as a cross-tabulation or frequency table) from the
data. It tabulates the frequency of observations for each combination of categories of the two
variables.
- We applied the chi-square test using the chi2_contingency function from the scipy.stats module.
This function calculates the chi-square statistic, p-value, degrees of freedom, and expected

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frequencies.
-We interpret the results obtained from the chi-square test

After performing 3 tests with different features , here the results ;

a. SocialMediaInfluenceOnOpinion &SocialMediaUsageFrequency:
Chi-square statistic= 9.049
The p-value (0.06) is greater than the significance level of 0.05, so we fail to reject the
null hypothesis. This tells that there is insufficient evidence to conclude that there is a
significant association between impact of social media influence on opinion and their
frequency of social media usage. However, the result is close to the significance threshold,

indicating a potential relationship that may reflect further investigation with a larger sample
size.
b. SocialMediaExposureToOpinions & SocialMediaUsageFrequency:
Chi-Square statistic= approx. 57.8
Since the p-value(1.25) is much smaller than the typical significance level of 0.05, we
reject the null hypothesis. This suggests that there is a significant association between the
impact of social media exposure to opinions and their frequency of social media usage. In
other words, people's perceptions of social media exposure to opinions vary depending on
how frequently they use social media.

c. PerceivedImpactOfSocialMediaOnOpinion & SocialMediaUsageFrequency:

Chi-Square statistic= 57.7058
Again , it can be observed that , p-value(1.27e-06) is very smaller than the significance
level of 0.05% , we may reject the null hypothesis.This shows significant relation between
individuals' perceived impact of social media on opinion and their frequency of social
media usage. In other words, the perception of how much social media influences opinions
varies significantly depending on how frequently individuals use social media.

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 VI. DISCUSSION AND RESULTS

a. The results of the chi-square tests reveal significant associations between individuals'
perceptions of social media's impact on opinion and their frequency of social media usage.
This finding tells that the frequency with which individuals engage with social media
platforms may influence their perceptions of how much social media shapes public opinion.
One possible interpretation is that individuals who use social media more frequently may be more
prone to its influence on opinion formation, leading them to perceive social media as having a
greater impact on shaping public opinion. On the other hand, those who use social media less
frequently may be less aware of or less influenced by its effects on opinion.

These findings have implications for understanding the role of social media in shaping public
opinion and the spread of information. The results highlight the need for further research to explore
the importance of find underlying relationship between social media usage patterns and perceptions
of its impact on opinion. Additionally, individuals should consider this as a serious cause and try to
promote media literacy and responsible social media use, particularly among younger
demographics who may be more heavily influenced by online content.
Overall, this study contributes to our understanding of the complex interplay between social media
usage and public opinion, shedding light on the factors that shape individuals' perceptions of the
role of social media in shaping public discourse.

b. We have also asked a subjective or open ended question on “What Role Do You Believe
Social Media Plays in Shaping Public Opinion and Anyone's Thinking” in the
questionnaire. In response there were a variety of responses from respondents who
answered on social media impact:

Influence on Youth: Many respondents believe that social media plays a major role in shaping
public opinion, especially among the younger generation. They perceive that young people are
easily influenced by the content they encounter on social media platforms.

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Educational Role: Some respondents view social media as a platform for educating people and
shaping their thinking. They emphasize the importance of using social media responsibly to provide
accurate information and educate the public.

Dependence on Exposure: The perception of social media's influence varies based on an

individual's exposure and critical thinking skills. Some respondents suggest that the extent of
influence depends on the individual's prior exposure to diverse perspectives.

Critical Thinking: A few respondents emphasize the importance of critical thinking when
consuming content on social media. They encourage individuals to verify information from
multiple sources before forming opinions.

Impact on Society: Social media's role in influencing public opinion is seen as significant, with
implications for society as a whole. It is perceived as a platform that can shape people's
perceptions, beliefs, and behaviors.

Personal Experience: A few respondents indicate that they have not personally experienced
significant changes in their opinions due to social media influence. This suggests that the impact of
social media may vary among individuals.

Results from the graphical analysis:

1. Age Distribution (1.1):

- The age distribution in the sample is reflective of the population, with the highest number of
respondents in the 18-30 age group.
- The significant number of respondents in the 50+ age group might be due to the increased
engagement of older individuals in the survey.
- The lower number of responses from the 13-17 age group could be attributed to restrictions on
independent access to technology in certain regions.

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2. Gender Distribution (1.2):
- The sample has a higher representation of females compared to males.
- This could reflect actual societal trends where females are more likely to participate in surveys
or be more active on social media platforms.

3. Frequency of Social Media Usage (1.3):

- The majority of respondents use social media daily, indicating the pervasive nature of social
media in people's lives.
- Those using social media several times a week form the second-largest group, highlighting
frequent engagement with online platforms.

4. Most Used Social Media Platforms (1.4):

- Instagram and YouTube are the most popular social media platforms among respondents,
followed by Facebook and WhatsApp.
- The higher usage of Facebook and WhatsApp suggests a presence of older individuals in the
sample who are more inclined towards these platforms.

5. Primary Source of News (1.5):

- Social media has emerged as the primary source of information, particularly among younger
generations, surpassing traditional sources like television and newspapers.
- The decline in radio usage as a primary source of news reflects changing media consumption
habits.

6. Impact of Social Media on Changing Opinions (1.6):

- A significant portion of respondents hasn't experienced content on social media that changed
their opinions about issues.
- This may indicate a level of skepticism or critical thinking among respondents regarding
information encountered on social media platforms.

7. Frequency of Encountering Challenging Content (1.7):

- Most respondents encounter challenging content rarely, suggesting that their social media feeds
are often aligned with their existing views.
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 - This finding aligns with the concept of social media algorithms prioritizing content that
resonates with users' preferences.

8. Exposure to Broader Opinions (1.8):

- While many respondents agree that social media exposes them to a broader range of opinions, a
significant portion strongly disagrees.
- This disparity in responses may reflect differing experiences with social media content diversity
among respondents.

9. Influence of Social Media on Thinking (1.9):

- Respondents aged 18-30 are highly influenced by social media, likely due to their increased
exposure and reliance on online platforms.
- Older age groups (31-50 and 50+) exhibit lower levels of influence, possibly due to more
established beliefs and less susceptibility to online influence.

10. Relationship Between Challenging Content and Taking Action (1.10):

- Respondents who encounter challenging content occasionally are more likely to take action in
real life compared to those who encounter it rarely or frequently.
- This suggests that occasional exposure to challenging content may prompt individuals to
critically engage with issues and take action.

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 VII. CONCLUSION

To sum up, the purpose of this study was to look into how social media affects people's opinions
and thought processes. We conducted a comprehensive analysis to investigate how different
demographic groups interact with social media platforms, the extent of social media's impact on
individuals' beliefs, and the frequency of encountering challenging content.

The findings revealed significant associations between people's perceptions of social media's
influence on opinion and their frequency of social media use. More specifically, people who use
social media more often tend to believe that it has a bigger impact on public opinion. This
emphasizes the value of social media etiquette and media literacy, especially for younger audiences
who might be more vulnerable to online influence.

Furthermore, the study provided insights into the primary sources of news, the prevalence of social
media usage, and the types of content encountered on social media platforms. The results
underscored the pervasive nature of social media in shaping public discourse and the need for
critical thinking when consuming online content.

Overall, this study contributes to understanding the complex interplay between social media usage
and public opinion. By identifying factors influencing individuals' perceptions of social media's
role in shaping public discourse, we can better navigate the digital landscape and promote informed
decision-making in society. Moving forward, further research is warranted to explore the nuances
of social media's influence on opinion formation and its implications for societal discourse and
democracy.

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 VIII. REFERENCES
1.https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/stratified-sampling/
2.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsNCCQhkKN8
3.https://www.qualtrics.com/au/experience-management/research/stratified-random-samplin
g/

Formlink:
[https://www.cognitoforms.com/Christ6/BeyondTheScreenUnravelingTheInfluenceOfSocialMediaOnPublicOpinion]

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