Opinion polls before and during election campaigns

That this House notes a series of opinion polls in the run up to the recent Gorton and Denton by-election and the actual result, when, within 48 hours of the Poll the three main contenders were projected to be polling at 27% - 28% and the election result had the winning candidate on 41%, the same polls were indicating other main Parties polling around 6% when their actual result showed less than one third of that figure; and calls upon politicians of all Parties to be more diligent in their attitude to such approaches, as opinion polls can be used to infer wider voting intentions to be something that does not materialise at the ballot box.

• Mr Gregory Campbell Sponsor
• Jim Shannon