2. In an opinion poll, people were asked, "In politics, as of today, do you consider yourself a Republican, a Democrat, or an independent?"

The chart below represents the results, by month, for the first six months of 2013:

\begin{tabular}{|l|c|c|c|}
\hline
& \begin{tabular}{c} Republicans \\ [tex]$\%$[/tex] \end{tabular}
& \begin{tabular}{c} Independents \\ [tex]$\%$[/tex] \end{tabular}
& \begin{tabular}{c} Democrats \\ [tex]$\%$[/tex] \end{tabular} \\
\hline
Jan 2013 & 27 & 38 & 33 \\
\hline
Feb 2013 & 28 & 38 & 32 \\
\hline
Mar 2013 & 27 & 36 & 35 \\
\hline
Apr 2013 & 26 & 40 & 33 \\
\hline
May 2013 & 28 & 39 & 32 \\
\hline
Jun 2013 & 26 & 41 & 31 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}

Source: Gallup

During the first six months of 2013, what percent of the people surveyed, on average, considered themselves independents? (Assume that the same number of people were surveyed each month.) Round your answer to the nearest percentage and write your answer in the box below.

[tex]$\square$[/tex]



Answer :

To determine the average percentage of people who considered themselves independents during the first six months of 2013, follow these steps:

1. Extract the percentage values for each month:
- January: 38%
- February: 38%
- March: 36%
- April: 40%
- May: 39%
- June: 41%

2. Sum the percentages:
[tex]\[ 38 + 38 + 36 + 40 + 39 + 41 = 232 \][/tex]

3. Count the number of months:
[tex]\[ \text{Number of months} = 6 \][/tex]

4. Calculate the average percentage:
[tex]\[ \text{Average percentage} = \frac{\text{Sum of percentages}}{\text{Number of months}} = \frac{232}{6} \approx 38.666666666666664 \][/tex]

5. Round the average to the nearest percentage:
[tex]\[ 38.666666666666664 \approx 39 \][/tex]

Therefore, the average percentage of people who considered themselves independents during the first six months of 2013 is 39%.