- Priority Area Boosting Fact-checking Activities in Europe
- Funding Round / Action Types 6th Funding Round – Scale-up Projects
- Year 2024
- Country Germany
- Project Status Ongoing
Europe Elects, an organisation with 10 years of experience in serving the public with critically reviewed polling data, is expanding its activities with the “Europe Elects: Truth in Polling” initiative, the goal of which is combating the spread of misinformation and disinformation in the field of polling across Europe. The project is meant to address a number of critical needs in the public sphere, including:
1. The need for an independent organisation to monitor political polling activity.
2. The need for a systematic review of European political pollsters.
3. The need for a public report that speaks to these issues.
The project is to use a variety of methods to fact-check pollsters and poll data, including but not limited to:
1. Deepened dialogue with political pollsters in countries of the European Political Community with the goal of reviewing their work collaboratively with them.
2. Identifying patterns and possible conflicts of interest related to ties between pollsters and third parties, which may involve interviewing sources, reviewing public records, and more.
3. Reviewing methodology, which includes looking at the sample size, the sampling method, the weighting method, and the question wording.
4. Checking the pollster’s track record, which includes looking at how accurate their polls have been in the past.
The target audiences of the project are:
1. European citizens
2. Journalists and media professionals
3. Policymakers and government officials
4. Researchers and academics
Europe Elects wants to publish its findings in a public report featuring a review of European pollsters engaging in political work, which then can be used by all democratic stakeholders with an interest in public opinion data.
