Dusit Poll decides against exit poll

Dusit Poll has decided not to conduct an exit poll for the March 3 elections, citing the need to protect the integrity and reputation of the institution from those who aim to exploit its surveys.

Dusit Poll head Sukhum Chaloeysub said the pollster had met and resolved against conducting exit polls because:

_ Ongoing political division and competition could cause respondents to feel uncomfortable and insecure about answering questions, resulting in answers that fail to reflect reality;

_ Concern about the safety of field officials who may be enticed or duped into committing electoral fraud;

_ The exit poll is not worth conducting since there will be a real-time vote count after the ballot boxes close;

_ The pollster has evidence that its earlier survey was exploited by politicians;

_ Pollsters must remain 100 metres away from polling stations.

Sukhum said Dusit Poll had gathered information on the election, which it plans to publish at 3pm on Sunday.