Political Party and

Legal Drinking Age Bill

Attitude Toward Bill
For Undecided Against Total

Republican 38 17 95 150

Democrat 92 18 90 200

Total 130 35 185 350

The bold numbers are the observed frequencies (fo)

Step 1. Research Question

 Does party affiliation influence one's

opinion on the measure that would lower
the legal drinking age to 18?
Using the 9-Step Method of HT
Step 2 Make Assumptions and Meet Test Requirements

▪ Independent random samples

▪ Level of measurement is nominal
▪ Note that no assumption is made about the shape of
the sampling distribution.
Step 3 State the Null and Alternate Hypothesis
▪ H0: The variables are independent. (Party affiliation
and attitude towards the bill of lowering the legal
drinking age to 18 are independent.)
▪ H0: fo = fe
▪ H1: The variables are dependent. (Party affiliation and
attitude towards the bill of lowering the legal drinking
age to 18 are not independent.)
▪ H1: fo ≠ fe
Step 4

▪ To determine if two categorical variables are

related or if we want to see if a distribution of
data falls into a prescribed distribution, then we
use the Chi-Square as our test statistic.
▪ Chi-square is used when the variables being
considered are categorical variables.
▪ The chi square test is non-parametric.
▪ It can be used when normality is not assumed.
Step 5: Select the Sampling Distribution and
Establish the Critical Region

 Because normality is NOT ASSUMED and our data are in

tabular form, our Sampling Distribution = χ2
 df = (r-1)(c-1) = (2-1)(3-1) = 2 @ Alpha = .05
 χ2 (critical) = 5.991
❑There are two possible results from our
comparison:
❑The test statistic is lower than the Chi-square
value. You fail to reject the hypothesis of
independence.
❑The test statistic is higher than the Chi-
square value. You reject the hypothesis of
independence.
❑ Understanding p-values
❑ Let’suse a graph of the Chi-square distribution to better
understand the p-values.
❑ You are checking to see if your test statistic is a more
extreme value in the distribution than the critical value.
❑ The graph below shows a Chi-square distribution with
ONE degree of freedom. It shows how the value of 5.991
“cuts off” 95% of the data.
❑ Only 5% of the data from a Chi-square distribution with
ONE degree of freedom is greater than 5.991.
Step 6 Calculate the Test Statistic
 Formula:
( fo − fe ) 2

χ2 (obtained) =  f
e

Method:
1. Find expected frequencies for each cell.
2. Complete computational table to find χ2 (obtained)
Observed and Expected Frequencies for
each cell (Note that totals are unchanged):
HOMICIDE RATE

GUN
For Undecided Againts Total
SALES
fo = 38 fo = 17 fo = 95
High 150
fe = 55.71 fe = 15 fe = 79.29
fo = 92 fo = 18 fo = 90
Low 200
fe = 74.29 fe = 20 fe = 105.71

Total 130 35 185 N = 350

 Computational Table (cont.)
 (c) Square each of these values

fo fe fo - fe (fo - fe)2 (fo - fe)2 /fe

38 55.71 -17.71 313.80 5.63

17 15.00 2.00 4.00 0.27
95 79.29 15.71 246.94 3.11
92 74.29 17.71 313.80 4.22
18 20.00 -2.00 4.00 0.20
90 105.71 -15.71 246.94 2.34

350 350 0 15.77

 χ2 (obtained) = 15.77
Step 7 Make a Decision and Interpret
the Results of the Test

▪ χ2 (critical) = 5.991
▪ χ2 (obtained) = 15.77
▪ The test statistic is in the Critical Region.
Therefore, Reject the H0.
Conclusion

There is relationship between Party affiliation

and attitude towards the bill of lowering the
legal drinking age to 18
Implication
 Based on the findings, there is a relationship between party
affiliation and attitude towards the bill of lowering the legal
drinking age to 18. Majority of Democrats (70.77%) are for the
bill of lowering the legal drinking age to 18, while the majority
of Republicans (51.35%) are against it. This implies that
Democrats are more socially responsible and tend to advocate
more on educational efforts than Republicans. By lowering the
legal drinking age to 18, democrats could propose that
education on responsible alcohol consumption should start
earlier, allowing young adults to learn responsible drinking
habits in a controlled environment with the hopes of lowering
the car accidents in the Unites States.