RealPolls has issued a firm public statement in response to criticism from PASOK regarding its recent opinion polls, rejecting what it describes as a broad-based attempt to undermine the credibility of the entire public opinion research sector.
A Defense of Methodology and Credibility
In the wake of the dispute with PASOK, the polling firm emphasized that it does not engage in “political or party games” and publicly reaffirmed the rigor of its methodology and professional integrity. The company stated that a specific political force has chosen to challenge the legitimacy of opinion polling as a whole — a stance it says directly targets RealPolls itself.
According to the announcement, RealPolls is stepping forward “to restore factual accuracy” against rhetoric it claims indiscriminately erodes the institutional role of public opinion research.
International Standards and Verified Predictions
The firm stressed that its technical approach aligns with methodologies used by leading international polling organizations — methods it says “are not questioned anywhere, by anyone.” It also pointed to several past electoral contests where its forecasts were confirmed by official results.
Among these, RealPolls highlighted the 2023 Athens municipal elections, claiming it was the only firm to correctly predict both Haris Doukas’s entry into the second round and his eventual victory. It also cited the 2023 SYRIZA internal party elections, asserting its projections accurately anticipated Stefanos Kasselakis’s lead in the first round and final win in the runoff.
Regarding the June 2023 national elections, RealPolls noted that its forecasts matched the actual outcomes — including the significant surge of the Spartans party, which it described as one of the election’s major surprises.
Legal Recourse Remains on the Table
In closing, the company drew a distinction between legitimate public critique and statements it considers damaging, false, or defamatory — which it says amount to an effort to discredit both RealPolls and the broader polling profession. It explicitly reserved “all lawful rights, civil and criminal,” should it deem any remarks harmful or slanderous.
The full statement reads: “Recently, a specific political force has opted to broadly question the credibility of the polling industry, with statements directed at our company as well. RealPolls is speaking out publicly to restore factual accuracy against discourse that undermines, without distinction, the institutional role of public opinion research. We clarify that political or party ‘games’ do not concern us.”