British Polling Council Launches Guide for Journalists

The British Polling Council (BPC) has launched a guide to help journalists interpret and write up the findings of opinion polls.

Launched in 2004 by a group of UK research agencies, BPC aims to encourage the 'highest professional standards' in public opinion polling and to advance understanding of poll methods and interpretation of results, among politicians, the media and the general public. The new 'Quick Guide for Journalists to the Use and Reporting of Opinion Polls' forms part of the BPC's response to the recommendations of the House of Lords Select Committee on Political Polling and Digital Media.

The document has been developed as a 'guided tour' of the points to bear in mind when working with opinion poll data. Contents include an overview of how polls are conducted, including what to look out for when judging whether a sample is representative. It also offers advice on how to evaluate the questions covered in an opinion poll, and guidance on the dos and don'ts when it comes to looking at sub-samples, or describing changes over time.

The resource has been developed to complement existing materials available to practitioners and users of opinion polls, including the detailed guide developed by the press regulator IMPRESS and the Market Research Society. Commenting on the launch, Professor John Curtice said: 'Our guide describes both the strengths and the limits of polls, outlines five key questions that should be asked of any poll, and identifies the major potential pitfalls to avoid in writing a poll story. We hope that it will help journalists in newsdesks up and down the country report polls in a way that their audience finds both interesting and informative'.

Web site: www.britishpollingcouncil.org .