Strategic Vision LLC and Poll Fraud posted 9/25/2009 2:50:16 PM | 1 kudo what's this?     report abuse

eastham

Today, Taegan Goddard's "Political Wire" announced that it would no longer be using poll data from Strategic Vision LLC due to concerns about Strategic Visions' "methodology and transparency." Political pollster Nate Silver was a bit less diplomatic and accused Strategic Vision of committing fraud. Furthermore, the American Association for Public Opinion Research has raised similar allegations that Strategic Vision may have "cooked the books" in its 2008 polling. Yesterday AAPOR issued a reprimand of Strategic Visions, calling the firms actions inconsistent with the associations Code of Professional Ethics and Practices and "contrary to basic principles of scientific research. Link to AAPOR press release.

What is Strategic Vision LLC? Strategic Vision is a PR firm that represents a great many corporations and universities. In addition to its corporate practice, it has both a literary and a political division. They do work for people running for dog catcher as well as for the RNC and the British Conservative Party.

Pollster Nate Silver has done a statistical analysis of over 100 "polls" conducted by Strategic Vision and has discovered a numerical pattern that is often visible in tax fraud, padding an expense account, etc -- known as Bendford's Law. It is Silver's belief that Strategic Visions is not conducted real polling at all, but fudging the numbers to steer clients to its PR firm.

Link to Nate Silver's blog.

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