We've lost that polling feeling

On this Valentine's Day,  we've received the gift of several stories, which should dim our ardour for polls. Two stories from Joan Bryden at Canadian Press, here and here, should make us pause before we ever breathlessly report a poll again. Then Alice Funke at Pundits' Guide puts it all in her (supremely informed) context. 

To all this, I would also urge a look at  this much-circulated blog post  from a person well-known to me (as they say.) 

 What's important about Joan Bryden's stories is that it's the pollsters themselves putting warning labels on their products. We are being told, as if we didn't know already, that poll results are not the same as public opinion. Will it make a difference to how we're reporting them? I hope so. 

Comments

[jon drake]

Thank you Susan. I needed an explanation why the Liberals have lost the past two elections and are behind in the polls right now. Thankfully, none of it is true

[Allison Bennett]

I have wondered about the efficacy of telephone polling at a time when many people have switched to cell phones and these numbers aren't listed. I also have concerns that polls are now setting trends instead of reporting them and political leadership choices are couched in terms of popularity rather than policy.

[MJH]

Polls are unrelaible when the Cons have a 10 point lead. They are very accurate when the Libs have a 10 point lead. That is the way of the Liberal spinners. Could we have some nonpartisan reporting please?