General News of Wednesday, 10 December 2008

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Ben Ephson - Ghana's Most Accurate Pollster

Ben Ephson, editor of the Daily Dispatch Newspaper is the only pollster who correctly predicted the outcome of the presidential elections. read

He predicted a close run-off election, with a marginal lead by the NPP's Nana Akufo-Addo, which is no different from the results declared by Dr. Afari Gyan on Wednesday.

The Danquah Institute, Daily Graphic, Bureau of National Investigation, ghanaweb.com internet polling and several other newspapers predicted a "one touch" victory for the NPP.

The London-based Policy Associates Inc. predicted a clear victory for the NDC.

This election year's hard-fought presidential race has brought increasing focus on the credibility and methodology of polls - a focus that could have implications for politics.

"The biggest problem with most forecasting is that most of the institutes conducting the poll are affiliated to one party or the other. As a consequence, they massage the numbers to fit their goal" said a political analyst

Why are these polls so inaccurate? Simple. There are no consequences for being wrong.