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Office of National Statistics says inflation rises to 2.7 per cent

The Canadian PressJune 18, 2013 06:32

LONDON - The Office of National Statistics says surging air fares contributed to a rise in inflation in the UK last month. The UK's statistics service said Tuesday that consumer prices were 2.7 per cent higher in the year to May, beating the 2.6 per cent analysts expected. The ONS says prices rose on European, long-haul and domestic flights, and were the highest on record for this time of year. Fares were up 22 per cent. Marcus Bullus, trading director at MB Capital, says the higher-than-expected consumer price inflation underlines the volatility of Britain's economy.

Gallup to alter polling methods after misfire on 2012 U.S. election

Thomson ReutersJune 4, 2013 22:50

By John Whitesides WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Gallup, one of the world's most prominent polling groups, said on Tuesday it would adjust some of its survey methods after drawing criticism for inaccurately forecasting that Republican Mitt Romney would win the 2012 presidential election.

Park's approval rating climbs back to over 50 pct

Yonhap News AgencyJune 2, 2013 04:00

SEOUL, June 2 (Yonhap) -- President Park Geun-hye's approval rating has climbed back to over 50 percent, higher than the support she won in last year's presidential election, amid waning repercussions from a sexual abuse scandal involving her former spokesman, a poll showed Sunday. According to the survey conducted by polling agency Research View on May 31, public support for Park reached 53.5 percent, up 6.4 percentage points from its previous poll two weeks ago.

Tokyo's consumer prices rise in May for 1st time over 4 years

Kyodo News InternationalMay 31, 2013 01:31

Tokyo's consumer prices increased 0.1 percent in May from a year earlier for the first upturn in more than four years, due to rising energy and television prices, the government said Friday, suggesting nationwide prices may exit negative territory in the coming months.

Conference Board May consumer confidence index 76.2

Thomson ReutersMay 28, 2013 11:47

(Reuters) - The Conference Board's consumer confidence index rose in May to 76.2 from an upwardly revised 69.0 in April, the private business research group reported on Tuesday. The original figure reported for April was 68.1. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast a reading of 71.0 for the May index. Below are the highlights of the survey: COMPOSITE SERIES INDEX NUMBERS (1985=100 Seasonally Adjusted)

B.C. Liberal party poll pegged election result where media polls failed

The Canadian PressMay 18, 2013 11:46

OTTAWA - British Columbia's stunning election upset has turned on its head one of the strongest arguments pollsters have always used against banning or restricting public opinion surveys during campaigns. Since George Gallup pioneered political polling some 75 years ago, pollsters have maintained their surveys are vital to the health of democracy.

U.S. consumer prices dipped 0.4 pct in April

Agencia EFEMay 16, 2013 11:47

Washington, May 16 (EFE).- The U.S. consumer price index dropped 0.4 percent in April, bring the 12-month inflation rate down to 1.1 percent, the government's Bureau of Labor Statistics said Thursday. Excluding food and energy prices, which tend to be more volatile, the core-CPI inflation rate was 1.7 percent for the 12 months ending April 30. That is well within the 2 percent inflation the Federal Reserve considers acceptable. The CPI also fell in March, by 0.2 percent, and this is the first time since the end of 2008 that prices declined in two consecutive months.

Pollsters scramble to explain how polls could be so wrong in three provinces

The Canadian PressMay 15, 2013 21:16

OTTAWA - Canada's pollsters have struck out and are now scrambling to explain how their predictions in three consecutive provincial elections turned out to be so wildly wrong. Strike three came Tuesday when Christy Clark's Liberals came back from the polling dead to easily recapture government in British Columbia. The polls were similarly wrong in last September's Quebec election and the April 2012 Alberta election.

Pollsters data showed narrowing NDP lead, failed to predict Liberal victory

The Canadian PressMay 15, 2013 05:59

VANCOUVER - Among the biggest losers in the B.C. election campaign are the pollsters who for months have been predicting an NDP majority. "I think people are going to re-examine the truthfulness of polls," Premier Christy Clark said shortly after learning her party would form the next B.C. government. "If there is any lesson in this, it's that pollsters and pundits and commentators do not choose the government. It's the people of British Columbia that choose the government."

Compare voluntary survey with mandatory census at own risk: Statcan

The Canadian PressMay 8, 2013 09:40

OTTAWA - The first pack of data from 2011's National Household Survey comes with the census equivalent of a Surgeon General's warning: make any historical comparisons at your own risk. Slapped across the back pages of most of the Statistics Canada documents released Wednesday is a disclaimer that the voluntary National Household Survey is an altogether different beast than the now-scrapped mandatory long-form census.