It is widely accepted that opinion polls are not a good use of time and financial resources.
Immediately prior to elections there is a plethora of such polls, and many find it difficult to
complete them.   It is easy to become very confused by the variety of diverse political opinions;
however, numerous political parties attach considerable importance to these surveys, believing them
to be a crucial method of assessing the views of potential voters.


It is my firm belief that opinion polls should be prohibited in the week immediately prior to an
election, which is the situation in a number of European countries. This would allow for fairness
among political parties, as none would have a significant advantage over the others.  The
electorate would need to research individual manifestos and policies, rather than simply reacting
to the results of an opinion poll.