A LEADING polling company has denied claims it was carrying out secret polling on Scottish independence.
Scottish folk star Eddi Reader claimed on Tuesday she had given her views to an interviewer working for Ipsos Mori – only to be told the research would not be published.
The firm has told The National it is investigating Reader’s complaint and confirmed the research, which aimed at taking a snapshot of “public sentiment in Scotland” would be published next week.
Just took part in a IPSOS poll on Scottish politician opinion. I got into a wee conversation, the researcher told me that so far, over the past few days, all called say YES! To Indy. They asked their supervisor 4 publish date : “it’s not gonna be published, just opinion research”
— Sadenia Eddi Reader (@eddireader) November 29, 2022
Reader sparked outrage among Yes supporters when she tweeted about her experience with the polling firm.
She said: “Just took part in an Ipsos poll on Scottish politician opinion.
“I got into a wee conversation, the researcher told me that so far, over the past few days, all called say Yes to indy. They asked their supervisor [for the publication] date : ‘It’s not gonna be published, just opinion research’.
“To add to this I am not ok with giving my time and energy to Ipsos for some private secret person to squirrel away the results.
“I [gave up] my time because I thought it would be good for the community [to] see the results – anything other than this is deceptive.”
Her comments sparked suggestions Ipsos Mori was trying to keep secret information on popular opinion in Scotland – something the firm has ruled out.
One of her followers replied: "Just what I suspected they are now reduced to keep polling on Scottish independence a secret."
Ipsos said the person who carried out the interview was being investigated as well as others carried out by the same worker.
Reader stressed in a response to an Ipsos manager on Twitter that she did not want to see anyone lose their job over the matter.
An Ipsos spokesperson said: “It has been brought to our attention that one of our interviewers may have provided inaccurate information to a participant whilst completing a political poll in Scotland.
“We pride ourselves on providing our telephone team with the highest levels of training and we have strict quality controls in place, therefore we are taking this report very seriously.
“This interview, and others made by this interviewer, are being reviewed by the relevant team and appropriate action will be taken once this investigation is complete.
“Ipsos is undertaking this poll in the interests of understanding public sentiment in Scotland, as we do with many of our political polls.
"The results of this poll will be published, as planned, next week via media outlets and the Ipsos website.”
SNP MP Tommy Sheppard has been fighting for the UK Government to release secret polling data it collected on attitudes within Scotland towards the Union.
It is not known which firm carried out the research. Sheppard has previously said the case showed the right to information in the UK was “stone-dead”.
