In the lead up to the recent Australian federal election, David and Nicole interviewed social researcher Rebecca Huntley and senior lecturer in economics, Jingjing Zhang. The information was in and the polls had led to predictions of the outcome.

As we all now know, the outcome of the election was a surprise to everyone, particularly the major parties. In light of the shock results, the team went back into the studio to go back to the theory in light of the information and unpick what happened. By going back to the interviews, Nicole and David ask: What does it mean to have opinion polls and what does it mean to vote?

Further Reading:

• Rebecca Huntley’s article, Australia Fair, is available from the Quarterly Essay in any good book shop.
• You can find more information on Jingjing’s research on the UTS Business School website.
• For official election information, visit the Australian Electoral Commission’s website

Music: Gunnar Johnsen, Fabien Tell, Dew Of Light, Peter Sandberg, Flouw, Rand Aldo and Mo Stacks