Why not just ban polls?
Did you know that, until 2002, France had a total ban on publishing opinion polls during the final week before an election? The idea was to promote calm and put a stop to “horse-race journalism.” But the ban was overturned—the European Court of Human Rights ruled that it violated freedom of expression.
Today, France has a 44-hour silence period leading up to election weekend. And this applies not only to polls but also to journalistic exposés. So it’s not about banning the surveys themselves, but about government control over journalism and free speech.
Several countries have bans in place: Italy for two weeks, Spain for five days. The argument? That numbers with decimal points are perceived as absolute truths, and that a flawed poll released in the final seconds cannot be refuted in time.
But that argument falls short. The same applies to political scoops, scandals, and political maneuvers. Banning independent data doesn’t eliminate speculation—it just makes it more blind. Then facts are replaced by pundits speculating about “moods,” parties conduct secret polls, and the internet is flooded with rumors.

In Sweden, we’ve chosen transparency. But freedom requires responsibility.
Polling firms must deliver reliable figures. That’s why Novus uses scientifically proven methods—so that you get as accurate a picture of the current situation as possible. Unscientific surveys do not do that.
But the heaviest responsibility rests with the media. A poll that isn’t published has no impact—but everything journalists publish does. Journalism must not cut corners when it comes to methodology or sources. A news story must be based on the truth.
And remember: an opinion poll shows what the situation is right now, not what the future holds. Anyone who claims to be able to predict the future is lying.

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