Opinion polls are often incorrect, history shows this often. They’re mostly conducted on behalf of companies or political concerns who have a vested interest in the result of the opinion poll and questions often formulated with a bias in mind = their use only as indicators for those conducting them not the general public I feel. Politically used by all parties, and today we see the power of internet companies (such as Cambridge Analytica) making algorithmically arrived predications on voter behaviour.

Here is a clip from the award winning show “Yes Minister” where Bernard Wooley (Jim Hacker MP’s personal secretary) is talking to Sir Humphrey Appleby about the Minister’s plan ‘Grand Design’ and how the minister has seen positive feedback to his plans from opinion polls conducted (Episode 2, The Ministerial Broadcast). Sir Humphrey advises Bernard that opinion polls can be manipulated and leading questions formulated to get any answer one desires.