How valid are ConHome’s polls?

How valid are ConHome’s polls?

Shouldn’t they be joining the British Polling Council?

It’s become almost a regular occurrence. ConservativeHome (or ContinuityIDS as we used to call it) carries out a survey and up pops Tim Montgomerie to talk as though he is the official voice of the party’s grass-roots.

But how much attention should we give to his polling? Are samples, for instance, weighted in line with the known demographics of the audience he is testing? What weightings are used? What is the precise wording of the questions and in what order were they put. All of this is what we have come to expect from the mainstream pollsters so why should ConHome be any different?

At the end of the day is ConHome, as it is increasingly presenting itself a pollster? If so should not it be following the industry standard transparency that we’ve become accustomed to since the establishment of the British Polling Council in 2004.

The site is not listed as a BPC member. Surely the time has come for it to take such a step if it wants its surveys to be taken seriously.

Otherwise shouldn’t we be dismissing each new finding as just another voodoo survey?

Mike Smithson

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