Understanding Society: The Death of Polling?

‘The Death of Polling?’ may be a deliberately dramatic title to mark one year on from the UK General Election, but it’s fair to say it has not only changed the British political landscape, but has also shaken the polling industry. But are we alone in facing these challenges?

In this international edition of the Ipsos Social Research Institute’s Understanding Society publication, we examine the state of polling across the world.


Highlights of this edition include:

  • An interview with Professor Samuel Wang, founder of the Princeton Election Consortium website, who discusses why we need political forecasters and pollsters, the popularity of data journalism and why polling isn’t dead.
  • Expert contributions from journalist Ann Treneman, who takes us on the campaign trail, and Dr Rob Ford, one of the most prominent thinkers in this election, who dissects the rise of the insurgent parties.
  • The significance of social media: how UK politicians John Major and Ed Miliband got more mentions on Twitter than Kim Kardashian and One Direction.

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