Public perception of polls and support for restrictions on the publication of polls: Denmark's 2000 euro referendum

Previous studies have focused on either media coverage of polls or on their effects. This study investigated the visibility and quality of news reporting of opinion polls and the public evaluations of polls in the context of the 2000 Danish referendum on the introduction of the euro. A content analysis of the news coverage showed that more than one-third of all news in the campaign referred to polls and that newspapers were significantly better than television news in providing methodological information about the polls. Focus group interviews revealed that voters were dissatisfied with too many polls in the news and concerned about the possible influences of polls. Panel survey data substantiated this finding suggesting a broadly shared perception that the referendum campaign was dominated by polls. Voters who were frequently exposed to news about the referendum showed an increase in dissatisfaction with the dominance of polls during the campaign. Those who supported a more restrictive policy on the publication of polls in future campaigns included elderly voters, people dissatisfied with the campaign, and people who had cast their vote for the losing side. Results are discussed in the light of policy recommendations for the reporting of polls in campaigns.