Wedgewood Polling admitted Tuesday that most of its surveys were fabricated, describing the operation as a “social experiment” intended to test how easily fake polling data could spread through the media.
Researchers Cooper Burton, Mary Radcliffe and G. Elliott Morris of FiftyPlusOne uncovered discrepancies in electronic data markers and confronted the firm, prompting its admission. Wedgewood said only one survey, conducted in Nebraska, was genuine. Major outlets, including The New York Times and MS NOW, had previously cited the firm’s data. Decision Desk HQ subsequently removed 17 polls, while Newsweek retracted three articles.
The scandal follows a similar case involving Median Strategies and has renewed calls for stronger safeguards against fabricated surveys and weaknesses in the polling industry.
Related Tweet:
Wedgewood Polls, the bogus firm, described itself in a press release Tuesday as an “experimental project to demonstrate the vulnerabilities, lack of oversight, and overall low barrier to entry in the modern political polling industry.”https://t.co/pxrh9RdRnI
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) October 21, 2026
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