Mr Marcus Roberts
Director of International Projects, YouGov UK
Great Britain
Marcus Roberts is the head of international politics for YouGov. Previously he worked for nearly 20 years on US and UK election campaigns for the Democrats and Labour Party, including as Campaign Manager in 2015 for Sadiq Khan’s Labour mayoral bid for London. His research focus is on the rise of so-called populist politics across the West.
Contributing to sessions
PUBLIC DISCUSSION. Polling: predictions, trust and margin of error
Mrs Victoria Preston (moderator)
Mr Marcus Roberts
Mr Peter Dahlgren
Ms Rita Ruduša
Can we trust the polls? With polls proliferating in the media and with methodological concerns increasing within the polling industry, caution is warranted. This is not to suggest that the general quality of polling data is declining or that the problems facing pollsters have no answers. Still, consumers of polling data need to be more careful than ever. Something has changed about the way voters are willing to share their preferences with pollsters, even when those opinion polls are conducted anonymously. During this discussion, we will identify what has caused that change and, in particular, the role that ‘trust’ plays in voters’ willingness to reveal their political preferences.