How to Figure Aggregate Average

Finding the average of a group of objects is a simple operation. You just add up the measurement of the attribute for each member of the group, and divide the sum by the number of members. It’s a little more difficult to find the average of an aggregate of many groups of objects, especially if the groups do not have the same number of members or the same importance. Some way must be found to weight the data in favor of the larger or more relevant groups. This is especially important in opinion polling, where the results for subgroups such as ethnicity or party affiliation have to be combined to find a total aggregate result.

Things You'll Need

  • Calculator with memory
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Instructions

    • 1

      Calculate the average result for each subgroup. For example, suppose you were looking at public support for a certain policy. You might find that it had the support of 60 percent of Democrats, 50 percent of independents, and 40 percent of Republicans.

    • 2

      Calculate the proportion each subgroup represents of the total population. In the example being used here, Republicans might represent 40 percent of the population, Democrats might also be 40 percent, and independents might be 20 percent of the population.

    • 3

      Multiply the average of each subgroup by the proportion that subgroup represents of the total population. In this example, total Democratic support would be 60 percent times 40 percent, or 24 percent. Total Republican support would be 40 percent times 40 percent, or 16 percent, and total independent support would be 50 percent times 20 percent, or 10 percent.

    • 4

      Add up the total percentages for each subgroup to find the aggregate average. In this example, 24 percent Democratic support, 16 percent Republican support and 10 percent independent support would add up to 50 percent total public support.

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