Polls can shape reality, not just reflect it

The pollsters and the media have to make decisions based on public opinion – but those decisions can then shape us.

(Photo By If polls had shown a tighter race in Heywood & Middleton, Ukip might now have two MPs. Photo: Getty.)

An experiment this weekend by ComRes has supported what many pollsters had already found: including Ukip alongside the three traditional major parties increases their support.

The pollster ran a second poll alongside their typical monthly survey for the Independent. This included Ukip when the pollster asked respondents how they would vote in a general election tomorrow. Usually ComRes, like six of the other seven major British pollsters, doesn’t do this.