Polling Unpacked by Mark Pack

4 out of 5 stars

The publisher provided a copy of this free of charge in return for an honest review.

At election time we are bombarded with polls. Who’s in the lead, what is the swing, and what do various people think about a swathe of subjects that you may or may not be interested in? They dominate the political news and journalists pour over the implications of a 0.3% difference from the last poll taken only a few days ago.

Crystal Balls – They do not work

Politicians of every hue claim not to be interested or swayed by them, but they are lying. They are equally captivated by them. Their political career can be dashed on the rocks should the polls move against them. But why are people so taken by these snapshots of opinion, how do they work and can we trust their results?

It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.

This is a fascinating book about everything that you could possibly want to know about polling. And quite a lot of stuff that you really didn’t think that you needed to know. Pack traces their origins right back to the 19th century and brings us through the successes and disasters of polling.

I liked this. The level is pitched about right for those (i.e. me) that know very little about how polling techniques can be both good and bad, which polls you might want to keep an eye on and which are frankly a waste of time and the most importantly how the companies that arrange them can skew the results either deliberately or accidentally.