Ep. 052: Can You Trust Election Polls?
Guest: Dimitri Pantazopoulos, Maple Leaf Strategies
Dimitri Pantazopoulos is the only person who called the 2013 correctly in British Columbia’s last general election.
He takes us inside the world of polling – a world he says is complex. So complex that unless you have access to the methodology used in the sample, you’re left having to trust you instincts to know if the poll is accurate.
“It comes down to the methodology. We use live interviewers which I think remains the gold standard,” says Pantazopoulos. He also points out what matters is where key question are asked in the interview. When asked off the top, the likelihood of an accurate answer increases dramatically.
He went on to say technology is working against accuracy in polling. He says he envisions a day where the industry may have to return to door-to-door canvassing.
