Complaint puts Interview poll under scrutiny
A complaint filed with Greece’s National Council for Radio and Television, known as ESR, has put a recent political poll by Interview under scrutiny.
The complaint was submitted by lawyer Aris Papadopoulos, who alleges that the poll was published before the end of the data-collection period stated in the survey’s methodology. The allegations have not been established as fact.
Poll timeline questioned
According to the survey’s published research details, data was collected from Sept. 23 to Sept. 28 from 4,928 people aged 17 and over.
Papadopoulos alleges that the poll was already circulated and published on websites before the stated end of the fieldwork. He submitted supporting material with his complaint and called for the circumstances to be examined.
The complaint was sent to the ESR as well as the Presidency of the Republic, Parliament, government, political parties, the polling industry association, judicial authorities and journalists’ unions.
Questions over web panel method
The Interview survey was conducted through an online web panel, with participants completing a structured electronic questionnaire.
Web-panel surveys can be conducted quickly and at relatively low cost, but researchers have identified several potential limitations. People without internet access or with limited digital skills can be excluded, while participants who voluntarily join panels may differ from the wider population.
There can also be concerns over repeated participation, respondents motivated by financial incentives and fraudulent or automated accounts. These are general methodological risks and do not, by themselves, establish that such problems occurred in this particular survey.
Interview’s professional status questioned
The complaint notes that Interview is not a member of the Association of Polling and Market Research Companies, or SEDEA. As a result, it does not fall under the association’s internal quality-control and disciplinary procedures.
Interview is registered with the ESR and says it follows the international ICC/ESOMAR code of conduct.
The role of the ESR has also become part of the dispute. According to the report, the council does not have the authority to certify the scientific reliability of polling companies’ research methods.
Second-place figures draw attention
The Interview poll attracted particular attention because it showed a close gap between ELAS and PASOK in voting intention.
The published figures put ELAS ahead of PASOK by 1.3 percentage points in voting intention and by 1.4 points in the estimated vote share.
Those figures differed from the wider range of gaps reported by other polls cited in the complaint, prompting additional discussion about the methodology and comparability of different surveys.
Interview response
According to the report, a representative of Interview said the company was unaware of the complaint and did not indicate an intention to comment on it.
The allegations concerning the timing of the poll and its methodology remain disputed and have not been established as findings by an independent authority.
The case has nevertheless renewed scrutiny of how political polls are conducted, published and regulated in Greece, particularly as polling data can influence public discussion during periods of heightened political activity.
Sourse:efsyn.gr
