THE United Nationalist Alliance on Sunday expressed displeasure with how the polling firm Social Weather Stations continued to lend credence to what it said was a technically flawed methodology via its mobile survey system.
UNA spokesman Mon Ilagan said that, by insisting on using a questionable statistical methodology, SWS had become a conscious instrument of political propaganda that had already fueled animosity, hatred and prejudice among Filipino voters.
“Apart from the convoluted surveys that are released weekly, the mobile survey is an extension of abuse and misuse of statistics,” Ilagan said. The results are never validated and are obviously designed to condition the mind of the voters. The fact that SWS has embraced an experimental method already says a lot about the intent to mislead and obscure the realities on the ground.
Ilagan said the “mobile survey” conducted by SWS was using a flawed methodology and a biased sample size of 1,200 respondents who were given smartphones to respond to text prompts.
“Mag-ingat po tayo sa mga lima-singkong naglalabasang mga survey tulad nitong mobile survey ng SWS,” Ilagan said.
“Ang nakakabahala po eh pati po yung mga kilalang survey firms ay nagpapagamit sa propaganda ng ilang politiko para ilihis ang katotohanan sa tunay na pulso ng taumbayan.”
According to Ilagan, the survey results being released on a weekly basis has already affected the conduct of the 2016 national campaign.
“It is quite saddening that social media, as well as the mainstream media, have taken the results of these flawed surveys as irrefutable truths,” he said.
“These survey firms feed media and the social media with misrepresented data, and sadly, instead of responsibly creating an informed voting public, they have made Philippine politics as a blood sport.”
UNA said the survey firms had ceased educating people on issues and instead were engaging the people into a brutal political entertainment.
“These false surveys have alienated many and have created a negative influence on people. It has wounded relationships, alienated families and created a sub-culture of bullies,” Ilagan said.
“Instead of helping voters study the platforms of candidates, their qualifications and background, these mobile surveys are meant to impair voters’ sense of reason.”