The McKinnon Poll

When making decisions on matters of public interest, policymakers should be informed by robust research and data.

The Program was established to commission high quality public opinion research on topics that are of significant policy interest, but where there is likely to be a gap between actual public opinion and policymakers’ understanding of public opinion.

The ultimate goal of the Program is to encourage better policymaking by providing a richer and more in-depth understanding of public opinion as an input into the policymaking process.

The Program’s intended impact is to:

• Give a stronger voice to public opinion in policymaking, in a constructive way.

• Drive better policymaking through greater insight into which policy options might be acceptable, unacceptable, or require greater communication or education of the community.

• Negate the impact of vested interests influencing policy making by making claims about public opinion that are not backed by evidence.

• The inquiry-based approach of the Program: instead of starting with a preconceived agenda or view, we look to expert opinion and public attitudes to shape the focus of the research.

• The Program’s sample size is larger (3,000 people), and therefore of a higher quality than that typically used in other commercial or advocacy opinion polling (800–1,000 people).

• The Program’s poll design includes questions that seek to test real world trade offs and to test support and opinion in context, allowing for a more credible and realistic view.

• The independence of the Program: our polling is done free of an agenda, increasing trust and making customers more willing to share.

Together, these differentiators make the Program unique, providing more value to stakeholders, and giving a stronger voice for public opinion in policy making.