Polls and the bandwagon effect on the electoral process?

Canadian Parliamentary Review | December 22, 1996| | Copyright

Barry J. Kay is Professor of political science at Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo.

In its final report the Royal Commission on Electoral Reform and Party Financing proposed to restrict the publication of polls during the final 72 hours of election campaigns. This is one of the few recommendations to be acted upon yet it is supported by little documented evidence about the "contaminating" effect of polls. This article questions the assumption that the publication of public opinion polls have a "bandwagon" effect on election results.

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