Some people have expressed to me that I talk about polls too much. Others seem to look forward to my comments on them (I hear there is a cure for that). So let me go halfway. The latest Decima poll has:
CPC: 41%
LIB: 29%
NDP: 16%
BQ: 10%
Why anyone would put stock into a non-election period poll is another question.
And yes, I know there was a Strategic Counsel poll last week that had a much closer gap. I was busy last week and couldn't get to it. That and it had the Greens at 9% so grain of salt and all that.
Comments (7)
“Some people have expressed to me that I talk about polls too much. Others seem to look forward to my comments on them”
Is it possible to be in both categories simultaneously?
Posted by Occam's Carbuncle | May 9, 2006 2:52 PM
Posted on May 9, 2006 14:52
Polls are kind of fun and I usually get them up on my site. But it’s really the media who takes them too seriously. At torontostar.com the headlines for this poll is “Conservative strength growing, poll suggests”. The headline doesn’t make sense. The Tories didn’t move up at all and the media ban and ontario flap probably offset most of the gains from the budget and softwood lumber and unesco deals.
Posted by Dan McKenzie | May 9, 2006 2:58 PM
Posted on May 9, 2006 14:58
Glad someone’s willing to analyze them.
Posted by Mark Ferguson | May 9, 2006 8:13 PM
Posted on May 9, 2006 20:13
“Why anyone would put stock into a non-election period poll is another question.”
I think public opinion still matters, even in the political off-season. Good polls have a galvanizing effect for parties in power. They fuel positive media coverage, and they give political leeway for the government to try some things they might not otherwise do with a limited mandate. Bad polls, on the other, embolden the opposition and serves to limit the options of the governing party. Just look at what’s happening to Bush these days.
Posted by Dwayne | May 9, 2006 8:42 PM
Posted on May 9, 2006 20:42
Decima. Always good numbers for the Tories. Never acknowledging the existence of the Greens.
Hmmm…..
Posted by 604 Plonker | May 10, 2006 12:14 PM
Posted on May 10, 2006 12:14
I never understand this…
“You post too much about [insert topic here]…”
Then skip those posts. They are usually easy to identify. It’s not like you’re reading and then all of a sudden exclaim, “My Lord! This is a POLLING post!”
Posted by The Hack | May 10, 2006 2:32 PM
Posted on May 10, 2006 14:32
604, over the past year Decima polls have had the Conservatives lower than other firms, on average.
Regardless, there’s no point in getting your knickers in a knot, because (as Greg points out) polls outside of an election period are all but meaningless.
Posted by The Invisible Hand | May 11, 2006 8:20 AM
Posted on May 11, 2006 08:20