In defence of the humble pollster

Last week, Darrell Bricker and John Wright defended their profession against recent criticism. Today, Michael Adams makes his own case.

Any serious research firm is capable of providing an accurate, representative snapshot of the attitudes and opinions of ordinary Canadians. Election numbers repeatedly affirm that pollsters can produce good numbers. Considering those numbers with a reasonable degree of literacy – an understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the science – is not just a job for the number crunchers. It’s a job for all of us.