Hello,

This email is to correct an unintentional mistake printed in the Whitehorse Star (Monday Sept 12, 2005) concerning our most recent poll.  The newspaper reported “Both surveys indicate that six percent of the respondents were undecided on who they will vote for in the next election.”  Our press release clearly states “One-third of Yukoners remain undecided on any party – consistent with previous polls.”   That means 34% of those Yukoners who we contacted were unable to select a party candidate at this time. In political polling, it is common to have an undecided vote in the range of 20 – 35% depending on how far away the election is.  The further away the election is, the greater the percentage of undecided voters.  To see a good example of this, check out http://www.sfu.ca/~aheard/elections/polls.html where it shows the undecided rates the weekend before the Federal elections.  Most national firms report 12- 23%.  Here in the Yukon, undecided rates have always been higher especially until the nominations are in – since 36% Yukoners are more likely to vote for the person than for their party (DataPath Poll Oct 2002).

The 6% that the Star referred to from our poll was the percent among decided voters who would plan to vote for a party “other” than the three major parties.  In the last election, 5% of Yukoners voted in such a manner.

Political polling conducted at any time other than immediately prior to an election is done to show a snap-shot of public opinion – it is not intended, and should not be used to predict an election outcome – especially here in the Yukon.  Also, keep in mind, that general population voting preferences do not predict the final outcome of seats elected for each party.  In order to accurately predict the winners by riding, a survey must collect enough data within each riding and verify that data is representative (i.e. weighted for any age or gender sample bias within each riding).  With 18 ridings in the Yukon that would require a total sample of near 3000 surveys.

Another factor is that our press releases include other questions that reflect public opinion – such as satisfaction with the party leadership, key issues and economic issues.  Those questions need to be considered in the total evaluation of the political situation, as well as reviewing the data by key sub-groups that have a large enough sample to analyze (such as by gender, Whitehorse/non-Whitehorse, age, government employees).

DataPath Systems is politically neutral, we have no political motivations, nor are we affiliated with any political party.  Our goal is merely to reflect the accurate opinions of Yukoners.  This information provides insight for all parties to reflect and plan upon.

DataPath Systems in the only professionally certified market research company in the Yukon. Our research is based on over 20 years of personal market research experience, and on the research methods, policies and code of ethics of the associations of which we are members, such as the MRIA (Marketing Research and Intelligence Association, formerly Professional Market Research Society), and TTRA (Travel and Tourism Research Association).

Our original press release is attached for your review.  Please feel free to phone with any questions.