Pollster admits to fabricating data for ‘social experiment’ to expose flaws of industry

Wedgewood Polls said project was designed to highlight lack of scrutiny over polling sector by mainstream media

A polling firm has admitted to using fabricated data in surveys that were picked up by national media outlets in the US, claiming the project was a “social experiment” designed to expose the lack of scrutiny over the sector.

Wedgewood Polls released a statement on Tuesday on social media, after polling and election analysis site FiftyPlusOne reached out for comment on an investigation it had conducted into their surveys and data.