While we await this summer’s annual Ipsos - TPA survey that seems more like a marketing tool to influence respondents’ opinions than an actual snapshot of viewpoints, we thought we’d check how port authority chairman Mark McQueen’s favourite go-to-for-results-you-can’t-beat polling firm did on predicting the Ontario provincial election outcome. In a case that looks suspiciously like ...
A Tale of Two Polls
There are the best of polls. There are the worst of polls. Not all polls are created equal. Some are designed to gauge public opinion. Some are designed to form public opinion. How to tell the difference? One way is to check them against the 20 questions in The Public Agenda article 20 Questions Journalists ...
The Ipsos Reid – TPA 2012 “Opinion” Poll
The Market Research Intelligence Association (MRIA) is the polling industry’s professional organization. It has a Code of Conduct and Good Practice that its members commit to honour. Ipsos Reid (Ipsos) describes itself thus: “Ipsos is one of the world's leading survey-based marketing research firms2”.  It is a member of the MRIA and listed on the MRIA ...
The Toronto Port Authority and the Ipsos-Reid 2012 Survey
From July 24 to August 5, 2012, Ipsos-Reid, third ranked research company worldwide, conducted a poll for their clients, the Toronto Port Authority. The port authority released the results in August to great fanfare. Not surprisingly, the joint port authority – Ipsos-Reid press release read, “Survey Reveals Most Torontonians Agree Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport ...