Latest update October 1st, 2024 12:59 AM
Sep 15, 2009 Letters
Dear Editor,
With regards to a couple of critiques about the NACTA polls, I wish to point out that a recent poll conducted by Ansa McAl Psychological Research Centre of the University of the West Indies revealed similar findings to a poll conducted by NACTA on the popularity of political leaders and parties in Trinidad.
Both polls were conducted around the same time. The NACTA poll, which interviewed 670 individuals, was conducted in late July and early August, while the Ansa McAl poll, which interviewed 503 individuals, was also conducted in late July and early August.
The NACTA poll was conducted by New York-based pollster Vishnu Bisram while the Ansa poll was conducted by Psychologist Derek Chadee of Trinidad.
The findings of the NACTA poll were published on August 9, in all of the Trinidad dailies (Guardian, Express, Newsday) while the findings of the Ansa McAl poll were published in the Guardian Newspaper on August 22.
Both polls found that the PNM would easily win re-election if a snap election were to be called.
The NACTA poll projected the PNM winning a minimum 29 seats and a chance to pick up at least 10 more seats, all traditional Indian constituencies.
The opposition had a very good chance in two seats and faced an unhill batlle in 10 others according to NACTA.
The Ansa poll did not give numbers but said: “The ruling PNM is on easy street should a snap general election be called, doing handsprings in the lead, while rivals COP (led by Winston Dookeran) and UNC (led by Basdeo Panday) toil in their wake”.
The NACTA poll found that 73% of the respondents felt that the PNM would win re-election, while Ansa McAl found 66% saying the PNM would win.
Both NACTA and Ansa McAl polls found only 4% saying the UNC would win an election. NACTA found that only 7% felt COP had a chance of winning an election while Ansa McAl gave COP 8%.
With regards to approval rating, NACTA gave Prime Minister Patrick Manning 39% and Ansa McAl gave him 43%. Panday received an 18% approval rating from the NACTA poll, while Ansa McAl found Panday’s approval rating to be higher at 28%.
It should be noted that both polls were independently conducted with Ansa McAl funded by the giant business conglomerate Ansa McAl while NACTA was self-funded.
Polls conducted around the same time without bias and done professionally should reveal similar results as was consistently found in the US in 2008 for the Presidential elections by dozens of pollsters; there were minor differences among them and almost all turned out to be on target.
So there we have it above the findings of the most recent NACTA poll in Trinidad showing results (published before the Ansa McAl poll) that are almost similar to the Ansa McAl poll done from the prestigious University of West Indies.
This should debunk the myths being peddled that NACTA does not conduct polls anywhere in the world and there is no pollster by the name of Vishnu Bisram.
Vishnu Bisram
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