Watch: When 'Yes Prime Minister' explained how the PM's survey on demonetisation works
How to get any result you want from an opinion poll.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s survey on demonetisation has already been trolled on twitter for its yes-no line of questioning and because it seems designed to get only questions that the Government wants to hear.
A few sample questions from the survey, available to only those with smartphone devices and presumably do not have to spend all their free time in long queues to access their hard-earned money:
“Do you think black money exists in India?
Do you think evil of corruption and black money needs to be fought and terminated?
Do you think demonetisation will help in curbing black money, corruption and terrorism?
Do you think monetisation will bring real estate, higher education, healthcare in common man’s reach?”
— Narendra Modi app
Here’s how surveys like these works, as explained by the wildly popular British TV show Yes, Prime Minister. In an episode where the government wonders if the National Service scheme, a period of compulsory armed service during peace time, should be reintroduced, a bureaucrat explains to the prime minister’s secretary how polls can be designed to make participants say exactly what you want them to say.
The result? A perfect balanced sample or statistical proof that a poorly-implemented scheme is working brilliantly.