Final answer:
Approximately 58 percent of the people polled were in favor of the new hotel downtown, as determined by dividing the number of people in favor by the total number polled and then multiplying by 100.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student wishes to know what percentage of the people polled were in favor of building a new hotel downtown. To find this, we must calculate the total number of people who took the poll and then determine the proportion that is in favor. The total number of people who took the poll is the sum of those in favor and those against, which is 435 in favor plus 315 against, yielding 750 total respondents.
Next, to find the percentage in favor of the hotel, we use the formula:
Percentage in favor = (Number in favor ÷ Total number polled) × 100
Substituting the given values, we get:
Percentage in favor = (435 ÷ 750) × 100 ≈ 58%
Thus, approximately 58 percent of the people polled were in favor of the new hotel.