MANILA, Philippines?Poll results are not to be taken lightly or readily accepted at face value, a market research expert has warned.

Carole Sarthou, managing director of Synovate Inc., issued this reminder during the fourth general membership meeting of the Marketing & Opinion Research Society of the Philippines? (Mores) held recently.

Sarthou joined Butch Africa, vice president of the Philippine Statistical Association (PSA), and Dr. Terry Solivas, a member of the board of directors of PSA, in a discussion on what to look for when presented with and reporting the results of opinion polls.

The discussion was in line with a project currently being conducted by PSA-Mores titled ?Evaluating Opinion Polls.? The project?s objective is to raise the consciousness of the pollsters, media and the public about responsible polling and reporting of results.

?People should ask relevant questions pertaining to the gathering of data presented in each opinion poll,? said Sarthou.

Solivas recommended that for every opinion poll that publishers come across, they should first look for potential biases in the poll results. These can be gained through careful scrutiny of the data and asking relevant questions such as: Who conducted the poll and who sponsored it? It is also important to know details about data collection, the questions asked, and how the data were analyzed.

It is also significant to know the profile of the sample used in the opinion poll to ensure that it is aligned with the profile of the target population it meant to represent, in order to avoid any skews or over/under representation of particular sub-segments of the population.

Knowing the types of questions asked would put things in perspective for anyone who wants to interpret the results. The time frame when the poll was conducted also helps contextualize the results.

According to Africa, it is imperative that, other than checking the details concerning the gathering of data for the opinion poll, publishers and readers should check if the statistical organization that released the results is a trustworthy one.

?If the pollster is not willing to give all of the data that have been presented here, then maybe you should just forget about it,? said Africa. ?It is nice to know, but you shouldn?t lose sleep over it.?

Synovate is the market research arm of Aegis Group PLC. It generates consumer insights that drive competitive marketing solutions. The network provides clients with cohesive global support and a comprehensive suite of research solutions. Synovate employs over 6,000 staff in 62 countries.