Comments on: Sunday Requestathon

By: Possum

Possum — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 03:13:52 +0000

Bob Ellis was having quite the moment there, not a particularly graceful one at that.

By: William Bowe

William Bowe — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 02:30:55 +0000

Let’s hope so, for Bob’s sake. Every Newspoll but one conducted in 2007 had Labor’s 2PP vote higher than they achieved at the election. And has anyone ever heard anyone but Ellis call Newspoll “the Fox News of statistics”, or accuse it of telling Rupert Murdoch what he wants to hear?

By: David Richards

David Richards — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:01:16 +0000

I’d agree that on that scale the Libs are about a 7, but the ALP is more like 6 than 4.25. I heard Mal and co rabitting on about the little red book… and wondered if Red Symons should rush out a reprint. Honestly, the ALP is about as left as Mugabe is a sane white feller.

By: Cuppa

Cuppa — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 22:42:21 +0000

With regard to Dave55’s question at number 2.

An interesting post on the ABC blog Unleashed touches on this. An excerpt on how poll findings might be staggered to achieve a desired result:

And like Newspoll you ring no mobile phones, thus eliminating or minimising, the Labor-leaning, or Green-leaning, under-38s. Like Newspoll you ring homes on Friday night, when the under-38s aren't home, but the old, the ill, the friendless, the poor and the mad are, the Howard battlers, the Menzies limpets, the One Nation crazies in socks and sandals. And you make them one-third of your figure.

Then you ring up on Saturday morning, when the Soccer Mums, the Doctors' Wives and the prosperous dads are out shopping or swimming with their kids. And you ring up on Sunday night, when everyone is home, but the ABC watchers are unwilling to take the call.

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2077051.htm

Not sure if author Bob Ellis had his tongue gently in-cheek or not …

By: Spam Box

Spam Box — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 07:44:00 +0000

Um, I know things have been bad for a few years now, but I grew up in Joe country all the way leading up to the RC. (you know the “Sir Joke” graffiti painted on the Story Bridge) – guess

Are you telling me that people actually believe the Lib’s are to the RIGHT of the NAT’s?

Wow, I’ve been gone for far to long

By: Dave55

Dave55 — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 05:34:16 +0000

I’ll add another request as well seeing as you answered the last one with aplomb:
I was listening to a discussion of the NZ polls last week and an interesting point was raised – the possibility that phone polls possibly didn’t have a good representation of under 35s due to an increasing percentage not having land-lines and instead rely solely on mobiles. Now I realise that pollsters try and get people from these demographics in the phone polls because Newspoll at least reports these stats, however are the people who have landlines different in voting patterns than those with landlines (ie, do the polls pick up a heap of the live at home twenties as opposed to the independent younger people)?

By: Dave55

Dave55 — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 05:26:50 +0000

Thanks Possum – that answers my question although, like you, I would love to know who the Libs are talking to when the mention the red book etc.