U.K. Pollsters Were Talking to the Wrong Voters, Study Finds
- Polling companies struggled to reach young and working class
- Larger, slower, face-to-face survey got closer result
This article is for subscribers only.
The failure of British polling companies to predict David Cameron’s election victory last year may have been because they were talking to the wrong people, according to an analysis by one of the country’s leading political academics.
The result, with Cameron winning a majority that few had predicted, meant a crisis not just for the opposition Labour Party but also for pollsters. The British Polling Council ordered an immediate inquiry, which will present its interim conclusions on Jan. 19.