Mavros (vice-president of SEDEA): Polls can not manipulate public opinion

“Polls can not manipulate public opinion,” said Dimitris Mavros, vice president of the Association of Polling and Market Research Companies (SEDEA), testifying before the Inquiry Committee. He stressed that “no company risks tarnishing its name by issuing” bullshit “polls, because it closes the next day” and stressed that “polling companies are not state-owned”.

Asked about the self-regulation of the industry, Mr. Mavros replied that “it has been proven worldwide that it is the best antidote for the industry to function in a proper way”. Even countries that left the framework of self-regulation were forced to return to it. Law 3603 was created on the initiative of SEDEA because we do not tolerate people believing that we operate unjustly. There are problems and “issues” regarding supervision and he reminded that as an association he had in the past contacts with ministers of the SYRIZA-ANEL government, with the former Speaker of Parliament, Nikos Voutsis and with the ESR and had asked for the creation of an Authority. , where the Audit of Polls would be included, but then it was judged that it is not right for all issues to create Independent Authorities.

He underlined that the PESS, which is the quality control body of SEDEA Data Collection, has never weakened in its operation. And every company – member of SEDEA is checked twice a year, one of which is unannounced. He even said that in the period of the pandemic with the restrictive measures, three inspections may not have been carried out but inspections were carried out.

Regarding the company OPINION POOL and whether it is legal to have a subsidiary that receives projects from the public, the vice president of SEDEA replied that “there is no such legal restriction in any case.” He added that of the total market research conducted in Greece – not just polls, the total – the percentage of public sector research is only 4% when the European average is around 9%. He also noted that there is a transparency framework, such as that the ministry must publish every quarter the investigations it has conducted, with whom it has conducted them and so on. And there are competitive procedures. Now if there is a problem in the assignments, this is a matter that concerns and should be sought in the assignment of the project. However, as he stated, this does not necessarily mean that because it was given by assignment, this poll is also wrong.

For the controversial Opinion Pool poll of May 31, 2021, he stated that when the issue arose, SEDEA contacted the company “ex officio”. He confirmed that from the identity of the investigation there was the omission of the name of the principal, something that according to the law as well as from the Codes is a serious issue. The company, for its part, replied that this research was subscription, that is, “it ran it itself and gave it to customers”. Barometers are such subscription surveys. The PESS, however, checked this poll up to the point of weightings, ie the collection of data as beyond that the control of data processing and weighting is the responsibility of the Polling Control Authority. Something that has not been done as there was no relevant request, but even now if the Authority is asked to check the poll, it can be done, even though months have passed since May, because the weights can not be changed. or to be hooded and if it was wrong it will be revealed. Regarding the control of PESS, she said that everything was found to have been done correctly and that is why she was given the relevant certificate of good research regarding the collection of data.

Regarding the publication of the polls, Mr. Mavros stated that we all know that “very serious publications that play an important role in Greek society have published surveys by companies that almost do not exist and are not written not only in SEDEA but also in the ESR which it is required”. As a typical example he mentioned two of these companies, VOX POP which refused the control and Bridging Europe which was not a member of SEDEA and in the register of ERS and although it had the right to conduct polls, but it did not have the right to publish them.

On the issue of “manipulation” of the polls, Mr. Mavros replied that “communication efforts in this direction have been made by almost all parties. This does not mean that the mud has settled on us, because nothing has ever been proven and from I assure you that at least the companies that are in SEDEA have no disposition, they have no motivation if you want, to enter the process to manipulate anyone “.

He reminded that two days before the 2019 elections, the TV station SKAI made a show about the polls, in which he was invited as the president of SEDEA. for about ten minutes accusing the polling companies of not doing their job well and developing this whole theory of manipulation, enticed by some of the advisers he had next to him. The day after the elections, however, I received a huge “apology” on my cell phone and this honors him because from the position he had he could “choke” it, not to say anything. He also honors him and gives an interpretation to the fact that this particular man expelled from his side those advisers who led him astray. And Mr. Mavros wondered that “what I do not understand is that after that, now we are back in the spotlight” adding that “this Commission started as an examination for the Petsa list and today ended up being an examination for the polls”.

Announcements of ND and SYRIZA-PS

In a statement, the Press Office of ND commented on the testimony of Mr. Mavros as follows: Mr. Mavros reminded that while before the 2019 European elections, Alexis Tsipras blamed the polls for his low political flights, immediately after the elections he apologized via SMS for his unjust criticism, but this move by Mr. Tsipras The same man who decided to ask for the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry with complaints similar to those of 2019, for which we learned that he apologized, Mr. Tsipras’s political impasse is obvious. polls and so-called scandals to cover his political nudity, as he did in the case of Opinion Poll committee in fake news, as it emerged today from the testimony of Mr. Mavros.

Mr. Mavros revealed that the company did not receive a direct assignment but a tender was held between three companies where it was selected as the best proposal. He also testified that this is not a ghost company or with a small course in the field, as happened with some other companies that shone during the period of the SYRIZA government and accused SYRIZA that although it could ask to check the Opinion Poll poll with a simple application to the Disciplinary Board of SEDEA, did not make it. However, the continuation turned out to be more painful for SYRIZA after the witness revealed that SEDEA has denounced to the ESR Vox pop, the company of SYRIZA politician Giannis Sklias, however he refused to check the polls that recorded a jump in the party’s percentages! In addition, the witness put Bridging Europe, the famous “ghost” company, in the frame of the discussion, saying that even though she had been asked to become a member of SEDEA, she refused so that her polls could not be checked. After all this, one word is enough to describe the situation for SYRIZA: Fiasco “.

The Press Office of SYRIZA – Progressive Alliance, in a statement states “Today’s statement of the Vice President of SEDEA, Mr. Mavrou is a collapse for Mr. Mitsotakis and the regime that is trying to set up by manipulating the media and opinion polls. to do black and white but the reality does not help it, as today once again the decision of SYRIZA – PS the Examination to not only concern the Petsa lists but also the Opinion Poll was fully justified. direct assignments to a company whose owner conducts polls at the same time, which is exactly what the owner of Opinion Poll, who adores Mr. Mitsotakis, did while receiving direct assignments of 270,000 euros to another of his companies, but he also confirmed something else. This company not only did not publish illegally who is the customer – the person in charge of the suspicious survey of May 2021, but He even asked for a full audit by the auditing body of the polls, thus typically refuting the statements of the N.D. MPs. who constantly claim that Opinion Poll was fully inspected and found to be OK.

Mr. Mitsotakis is guilty, for this he hides one Opinion Poll and one Petsa. But in the end he will not be able to hide himself. Because it is now obvious that both behind Mr. Petsas and behind the obscure owner of Opinion Poll, Mr. Mitsotakis and “Maximou SA” are hiding.

Source: AMPE