Are faulty opinion polls to blame for Brexit?
Faculty Sponsor
Sean Swan
sswan@whitworth.edu
Session Type
Ideas Exchange (Works-in Progress)
Research Project Abstract
Prime Minister David Cameron announced Brexit in an effort to gain support in the 2015 election. The opinion polls were projecting certain defeat of the Conservative party. The hope was to have another coalition government with Liberal Democrats that would stop the Brexit idea in parliament. However, the conservatives won a 12-seat majority which meant they had no excuse not to go forward with Brexit referendum. Cameron relied on opinion polls, but they turned out to be wrong. This research study examines the role of opinion polls in Brexit, the explanation for the polls failure, and the political strategies leading up to Brexit.
Session Number
IE1
Location
Weyerhaeuser 111
Abstract Number
IE1-f
Are faulty opinion polls to blame for Brexit?
Weyerhaeuser 111
Prime Minister David Cameron announced Brexit in an effort to gain support in the 2015 election. The opinion polls were projecting certain defeat of the Conservative party. The hope was to have another coalition government with Liberal Democrats that would stop the Brexit idea in parliament. However, the conservatives won a 12-seat majority which meant they had no excuse not to go forward with Brexit referendum. Cameron relied on opinion polls, but they turned out to be wrong. This research study examines the role of opinion polls in Brexit, the explanation for the polls failure, and the political strategies leading up to Brexit.
