Polling UnPacked: The History, Uses and Abuses of Political Opinion Polls

Opinion polls dominate media coverage of politics, especially elections. But how do the polls work? How do you tell the good from the bad? And in light of recent polling disasters, can we trust them at all? Polling UnPacked gives you the full story, from the first rudimentary polls in the nineteenth century, through attempts by politicians to ban polling in the twentieth century, to the very latest techniques and controversies from the last few years. In equal parts enlightening and hilarious, the book needs no prior knowledge of polling or statistics to understand. But even hardened pollsters will find much to enjoy, from how polling has been used to help plan military invasions to why an exhausted interviewer was accidentally instrumental in inventing exit polls. Written by a former political pollster and the creator of Britain’s foremost polling-intention database, Polling UnPacked shows you which opinion polls to trust, which to ignore and which, frankly, to laugh at. It will change the way you see political coverage forever.

About the Author :
Mark Pack has extensive experience of conducting, commissioning and analysing political opinion polls, and his previous books include Bad News: What the Headlines Don't Tell Us (2020) and 101 Ways To Win An Election (2021).

Review :
When it comes to polling, size doesn't matter – it's how you use it . . . We learn about this golden rule and many more in Polling Unpacked, a comprehensive yet surprisingly fun overview of modern opinion polling . . . His book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand modern politics . . . Pack's book is a timely manual for those wanting to spot good polls from bad ones. What takes it beyond the standard 'how-to' guides is his knowledgeable, accessible, humorous, and passionate approach. It is well-written – even turning reasonably complex mathematics into something that the most numerically illiterate of us can comprehend – and direct, and Mark Pack's character, understanding and opinions shine through to make it a very individual, personable book . . . it is essential reading for all those attempting to navigate the minefield of shouted opinion, propaganda, and ‘fake news’. This is written by the founder of PollBase and traces the history of opinion polls from various ‘straw polls’ in the nineteenth century that were conducted to test public opinion, to the development of what we now know as modern opinion polling . . . Pack is clearly an expert and does a good job at unpacking all this (pun intended). How useful polls are is another issue of course, and Pack looks at this too. For anyone without a stats degree but a passing interest in the esoteric delights of sampling error weighting, response latency and acquiescence bias, fill your boots. Mark Pack sets out in an easy to read and frequently entertaining book the answers to lots of these types of questions and gently wraps the knuckles of the uninformed . . . Overall, this is a great read requiring no prior knowledge of market research. Opinion polls dominate media coverage of politics, especially elections, but how do they work? How can you tell the good from the bad? And in light of recent polling disasters, can we even trust them? Polling UnPacked gives the full story, from the first rudimentary polls in the nineteenth century, through to attempts but politicians to ban polling in the 20th century, up to the very latest techniques and controversies. Written by the Lib Dem President Mark Pack who has extensive experience in conducting, commissioning and analysing political opinion polls, PollingUnPacked will reveal which opinion polls to trust, which to ignore and which to, frankly, laugh at. I am so glad I read this valuable book. It wears its learning so lightly, but I found out so much I didn’t know and needed to know. A must-have book for all who follow the polls that is both informative and a really good read. Mark Pack has done a great job. Mark’s book is bloody good. Wonderful blend of evidence and anecdote. And a great relief to me as I had been toying with writing something similar (though doubtless less good) – no need now.