The political role of the opinion polls

Using the example of the 2003 pension reform in France, this article explores the political functions of opinion polls. By analyzing all opinion polls conducted between the announcement of the reform and its adoption by the Parliament, the article suggests that opinion polls have sought to shape the preferences of the respondents by making them supportive of the reform. To achieve this, polls have actively selected the questions and acted upon their formulation, overlooking the economic context that emerged in the wake of the 2000 stock market crash. Moreover, polling technologies raises the issue of the representativeness of polled opinions. Upon the publication of the polls in the news-papers that had commissioned them, biased interpretations have been proposed. A more thorough survey realized by the DREES led to very different findings.