Polling industry scrutinized after firm admits it ‘fabricated’ data
Caroline MolloyJust two weeks before midterm elections on Nov. 3, a polling firm widely cited by mainstream news outlets admitted that it fabricated polling data.
Wedgewood Polls confirmed in an Oct. 20 press release that it is a “fictional entity” that published “fabricated numbers” and “unverified figures,” claiming that the polling firm was created as “an experimental project to demonstrate the vulnerabilities, lack of oversight, and overall low barrier to entry in the modern political polling industry.”
The 17 polls manufactured by Wedgewood since June were cited in outlets such as The New York Times and MSNOW and included in polling aggregators such as Decision Desk HQ, VoteHub, and FiftyPlusOne.
Decision Desk HQ reported afterward that it has removed all 17 Wedgewood polls cited in its aggregates, but added that the “removal of these polls has not changed the projected seat totals or chamber control probabilities in the Senate or House.”
FiftyPlusOne reported that it had questioned Wedgewood Polling Oct. 20 as part of “an investigation we had conducted into their alleged survey research,” prior to the fake polling firm posting its press release. Wedgewood reportedly responded to FiftyPlusOne via social media saying, “F*** you.”
According to its report, FiftyPlusOne attempted to verify Wedgewood Polls’ legitimacy, concluding that its lead pollster was an industry veteran and even reviewing raw data shared on Oct. 15. FiftyPlusOne found that Wedgewood relied on a survey website, Pollfish, to collect data. However, when FiftyPlusOne conducted its own polling via Pollfish, it discovered that the Pollfish transaction identifiers listed in Wedgewood’s data were fake.
Wedgewood’s press release labeling itself “an experimental project” aimed at exposing how easily manipulated the polling industry is was simply a means of getting ahead of bad publicity, FiftyPlusOne suggested.
