SWS head to survey critics: Do your own polls

The president of one of the country’s largest survey organizations on Tuesday defended the conduct of surveys from “doubters" whom he dared to conduct their own to see for themselves how the process works. “Everybody should do it, the more the better. That to me is the best remark to the doubters. Do it yourself and when you see that it works, you’ll be convinced," Mahar Mangahas of the Social Weather Station (SWS) said in an interview after presenting a review of SWS surveys before students of the Ateneo de Manila University-School of Government. Mangahas said contrary to what the critics claim, surveys do not condition the mind of the public to vote for a particular candidate or candidates. “The best way for the surveys to succeed is for people to just keep on doing what they always do, thinking the way they always think, and voting the way they like to vote without changing it," he said.
SWS has been the Philippine provider of fieldwork and data processing services for the Gallup World Poll for the past four years. It conducts its own fieldwork and data-processing, and has been a full-service survey research institute since June 2004. Mangahas said it has been their policy to maintain transparency when it comes to the results of their surveys. “Anybody can open up the Web site. If they [critics] have some very specific things to talk about, let’s deal with that," he said. The SWS president also insisted the independence of his poll organization. “We are totally independent. We have our own field staff, we do not outsource it anywhere unlike most of the competition. We have enough field staff, in fact we are being outsourced by the Gallup World Poll," he said. Mangahas said the nearer to election day a survey is held, the better, as voters most likely have already decided on their choice by that time. “That means less time to change one’s mind already so that’s the best way to possibly succeed. If you could do it a day before, why not? It’s a matter of logistics," he said. - KBK, GMANews.TV