TheBulletin.ca Journal of Downtown Toronto
Brian Iler —
The Toronto Port Authority (TPA) has resorted to its tradition of push‑polling again this year, and is using its usual friendly polling company, Ipsos-Reid.
The TPA’s annual pre‑AGM effort to find support for the Island Airport[i] relies on the dubious technique of push‑polling: getting the answers you want by providing facts favourable to those answers just before you ask the questions.
It’s a trick – pollsters call the “priming effect”. They know it works. And so they use it, it seems, when they are hired to do so.
A CommunityAIR member reports this call from Ipsos‑Reid last Sunday:
“First questions about the Waterfront.
“Then my involvement in Waterfront issues.
“Did I think that the Waterfront was an asset to Toronto?
“Have I heard of the Toronto Port Authority?
“Was I aware of the tunnel?
“A study has shown that the airport is bringing $xxx into Toronto.
“Creating xxx number of jobs. [our emphasis]
“Is the airport an asset to Toronto?
“Do you hear the noise from the airport?
“Do you know about the proposal for jets?
“Do you support jets at the Island Airport?
“There was a question about the Union/Pearson rail link. Will this change your mind about the airport?
“Then the usual stuff about education, age, income.
“They asked if I had any further comment and I said,
“Do you know that the CEO of the TPA earns $250,000 a year to cram this fraudulent airport down the throats of Torontonians?
“I think I heard the pollster gulp.”
Darrell Bricker, Global CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs, explains precisely how push‑polling works in his video You Have a Right to Know. found here – it includes a great – and persuasive ‑ clip from the classic BBC comedy Yes, Prime Minister.
<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”//www.youtube.com/embed/uLckDf0w0xg?list=PLS2CHTim4DpG8oVxhTfUWV5sU5O9ZjNfB” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>
If a similar set of readily-available negative facts about the Island Airport had been offered first, one can reasonably expect that the questions about the Island Airport would be answered very differently
What can be done to address the use of push‑polls?
The only regulator is the polling industry’s trade association, Marketing Research and Intelligence Association.
However, as a condition of proceeding, it insists that a complainant sign a confidentiality agreement with this provision:
“Each Party to the Complaint, and each of the Party’s witnesses and experts, and MRIA, will execute MRIA’s form of “Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreement”, agreeing in advance that they will maintain confidentiality of the entire proceedings including, without limitation or exception, the filing of the Complaint, all information that is exchanged or made available throughout the Complaint process, the Decision by the adjudicator, and the disposition of the Complaint.”
CommunityAIR will not be muzzled, and refused to sign the required agreement[ii].
As a result, the MRIA refused to process CommunityAIR’s 2012 complaint[iii] against Ipsos‑Reid for similar push-poll tactics [iv].
There is no remedy for push‑polling abuse. As a result, the media and members of the public should be most wary of poll results that have relied upon this trick.
Brian Iler is chairman of CommunityAIR
[i] The TPA shamelessly flogs its push‑poll results. Here’s some examples of its use of last year’s push‑poll:
September 4, 2013
“An annual survey released today by the Toronto Port Authority (TPA) reveals that 85 per cent of Toronto residents ‘agree’ that ‘Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is an important part of Toronto’s future economic growth’.”
Source: http://torontoport.com/Airport/News/Overwhelming-Number-Of-Billy-Bishop-Airport-Users-.aspx
September 4, 2013
“Nine in Ten (85%) Believe Billy Bishop Airport is an Important Part of Toronto’s Future Economic Growth”
Source: http://www.ipsos-na.com/news-polls/pressrelease.aspx?id=6243
September 4, 2013
“After all, without the interest and support of Torontonians in a jet service at Billy Bishop, there’s no business case for the Porter Proposal. Which is why we asked Ipsos to add that very question to this year’s annual survey.
The answer was 60% in favour and 37% opposed, which is not dissimilar to the 62-31 results we received when we asked Torontonians in 2009 what they thought about the proposed pedestrian tunnel.”
September 11, 2013
“Without the interest and support of Torontonians in a jet service at Billy Bishop, there’s no business case for the Porter Proposal. Which is why we asked Ipsos to add that very question to this year’s annual TPA survey. The answer was 60% in favour and 37% opposed, which is not dissimilar to the 62-31 results we received when we asked Torontonians in 2009 what they thought about the proposed pedestrian tunnel.”
Source pdf download: http://www1.toronto.ca/City%20Of%20Toronto/Waterfront%20Secretariat/Shared%20Content/Files/BBTCA/City%20of%20Toronto/Sept.%2011%20TPA%20to%20City%20re.%20Town%20Hall.pdf
October 4, 2013
“To that end I note from the July 2013 Ipsos Reid poll that 54% of BBTCA users and 52% of all Torontonians, believe the City and TPA should immediately “amend the [Tripartite] agreement and extend it beyond 2033 to ensure the lomg-term viability of the airport.”
Source pdf download: http://www1.toronto.ca/City%20Of%20Toronto/Waterfront%20Secretariat/Shared%20Content/Files/BBTCA/City%20of%20Toronto/Oct.4.2013.TPA%20to%20City.pdf
October 21, 2013
“In July 2013, an Ipsos Reid poll asked Torontonians the following question: “Do you support the use of jet aircraft at Billy Bishop provided the jets make no more noise than the current turboprops.
The response was 60% in favour and 37% opposed.”
Source pdf download: http://www.torontoport.com/TorontoPortAuthority/media/TPASiteAssets/PDFs/Executive%20Correspondence/Mark-McQueen-speech-to-TRBOT-%28October-21,-2013%29.pdf
October 22, 2013
“That 85% of Torontonians believe Billy Bishop is an asset to the City, and 60% are in favour of jets (with 37% opposed – a third of whom want to close the airport completely) is interesting, and may factor into Council’s final decision.
November 7, 2013
“85% of Torontonians believe the airport is an asset to the City.”
“Firstly, according to the Ipsos Reid poll from July 2013, 52% of Torontonians believe “we should amend the agreement (Tripartite Agreement) now and extend ir beyond 2033 to ensure the long-term viability of the Airport.” Source pdf download:http://www1.toronto.ca/staticfiles/City%20Of%20Toronto/Waterfront%20Secretariat/Shared%20Content/Files/BBTCA/City%20of%20Toronto/Nov7.2013_TPA%20to%20City_1.pdf
January 24, 2013
“Without the interest and support of Torontonians in a jet service at Billy Bishop, there’s no business case for the Porter Proposal. Which is why the TPA asked Ipsos to add that question to last year’s annual TPA survey. The answer was 60% in favour and 37% opposed, which is not dissimilar to the 62-31 results we received when we asked Torontonians in 2009 what they thought about the then-proposed P3 pedestrian tunnel.”
Source pdf download: http://www1.toronto.ca/City%20Of%20Toronto/Waterfront%20Secretariat/Shared%20Content/Files/BBTCA/TPA%20letters%20and%20info_2.pdf
[ii] CommunityAIR had submitted this to MRIA on February 24, 2014:Your new requirement that a decision be kept confidential is unacceptable. It is merely protective of your members, and utterly fails, as a matter of public interest, to ensure that your members and the public are informed of the issues raised and their resolution, in order that they can all be assured that your Code is being respected and enforced.
This secrecy requirement is even contrary to your own Code, which adopts the principle that disciplinary proceedings should be open and transparent.
We are content to execute the agreement if the requirement that the decision and the disposition be kept confidential is deleted.
Openness and transparency are hallmarks of a fair and effective enforcement process. Secrecy only undermines that process.
Please process this complaint on the basis of your Code. We will not be executing the agreement sought, as it is not a requirement of that Code.
[iii] Here’s CommunityAIR’s letter of complaint about Ipsos Reid’s 2012 push‑poll [the full complaint is available on request]:MRIA Interim Executive Director
Marketing Research & Intelligence Association
2600 Skymark Avenue, Bldg. 4. Unit 104, Mississauga, Ontario L4W 5B2
CommunityAIR requests that the Executive Director of the MRIA consider our complaint against Ipsos-Reid, an MRIA member, in the matter of a poll taken on behalf of the Toronto Port Authority.
The highlights of the poll were disseminated to the media and general public in a joint press release on August 23, 2012. See Attachment 01 2012 08 23 CNW Most Torontonians Agree Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport Great for Toronto’s Economy.
For the media package, see Attachment 02 2012 Ipsos Reid airport survey pdf.
We believe that the poll breached the Code of Conduct and Good Practice for Members of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (the “Code”) in that Ipsos-Reid did not ensure that its research was not misleading.
In addition, we believe that Ipsos-Reid did not abide by Principle 2 (Public Confidence) of the general rules of conduct and that by its actions diminished the confidence of the public in research in general rather than promoted and augmented that confidence.
CommunityAIR further believes that in conducting the poll, Ipsos-Reid attempted to manage the issue. Managing issues is one of the services offered through their website.
“We understand and manage issues, advance reputations, determine and pinpoint shifts in attitude and opinion, enhance communications, and evaluate policy. http://www.ipsos.ca/en/research/public-affairs/
In order to support our claim, we offer an analysis of methods Ipsos-Reid used to achieve its ends. See Attachment 03 Ipsos Reid details of survey pdf and Attachment 04 CommunityAIR Complaint against Ipsos-Reid Supporting Evidence
CommunityAIR’s interest in this matter is non-pecuniary. As a volunteer citizen group our aim is protection of Toronto’s Waterfront from the detrimental effects of the Billy Bishop Toronto Centre Airport. The Toronto Port Authority, owner of the airport, has used various means to promote the facility. We believe the poll is one of them and as such should be revealed as a marketing tool to manage an issue and not as a survey.
We are asking that the MRIA, after careful consideration of the complaint, should it find that the complaint has merit, request Ipsos-Reid to advise the media that the poll in question is a marketing or promotional tool and to print a disclaimer to that effect accompanying any future polls that use the same methods.
CommunityAIR is asking for a level playing field so that the management of issues is not confused with the results of a survey or poll.
[iv] MRIA response to CommunityAIR dated February 26, 2014From: John Ball, Interim Executive Director, MRIA
To: Brian Iler, Chair, CommunityAIR
Gary Bennewies, President & CEO, Ipsos Canada
Re: CommunityAIR Complaint against Ipsos-Reid re Toronto Port Authority Poll
Gentlemen:
You are both in receipt of MRIA’s confidential Complaint Adjudication Procedure (“Procedure”) on the basis of which MRIA proposed to convene an adjudication of the Complaint submitted to MRIA on August 16, 2013.
Paragraph 6.4.5 of the Procedure provides, in part, that:
“The Complaint will not proceed if…either Party declines to sign and return to MRIA both the Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreement (attached as Appendix 1 to the Procedure) and a copy of the Complaint Adjudication Procedure…”
Attached to the Procedure is Appendix 2 (Final Amendment: February 19, 2014). At paragraph (c) of Appendix 2, the following is stated:
“By Tuesday, February 25, 2014 (by Day Eight): MRIA (attention: MRIA’s Executive Director) must receive from each Party its signed (i)Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreement; and (ii) the Procedure.
Otherwise, the Complaint will not proceed.”
Please be informed that since the requirements of paragraph (c) have not been fulfilled, this Complaint will not proceed. Accordingly, the Complaint file will now be closed.
