How not to test public opinion
The survey by the Indian Prime Minister on the withdrawal of some bank notes that breaks all the polling rules.
People took to the streets in India this week to protest about the government’s decision to withdraw R500 R1,000 notes. But despite the uproar the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has insisted he has the support of the people after a survey, carried out on his very own mobile app, found that the decision was supported by more than 90% of respondents.
But the whole episode has echoes of the kind of manipulation evident in one particular sketch from the British political sitcom ‘Yes, Prime Minister’. With accusations of leading and confusing questions designed to get a particular outcome one marketing Professor tells us that if anyone had come up with this survey in his marketing class he would fail them.
Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Charlotte McDonald
Image: Protestors burn an effigy of the Prime Minister at a rally in Kolkata. Credit Dibyanshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty
Last on
More episodes
Previous
Broadcasts
- Fri 2 Dec 2016 19:50GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Fri 2 Dec 2016 20:50GMTBBC World Service Online, Americas and the Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East, Australasia & UK DAB/Freeview only
- Fri 2 Dec 2016 21:50GMTBBC World Service South Asia & East Asia only
- Mon 5 Dec 2016 02:50GMTBBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean
- Mon 5 Dec 2016 03:50GMTBBC World Service Online, Europe and the Middle East & UK DAB/Freeview only
- Mon 5 Dec 2016 04:50GMTBBC World Service East Asia & South Asia only
- Mon 5 Dec 2016 05:50GMTBBC World Service Australasia
- Mon 5 Dec 2016 07:50GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & Europe and the Middle East only
Download this programme
Subscribe to this programme or download individual episodes.