GoKawiilWedgewood Polls admits its election surveys were fabricated as a 'social experiment'
Wedgewood Polls, a polling firm launched in June 2026, posted a statement on X on October 20 admitting its data was fake, framing the act as an experiment meant to expose weak oversight in political polling and calling for industry reform. The firm named media outlets and aggregators, including MS NOW, The New York Times, VoteHub and FiftyPlusOne, that had cited its numbers before deleting its account. Researchers at the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public say the confession was likely prompted by an investigative piece from FiftyPlusOne that had already raised doubts about Wedgewood's data.
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The episode marks the second instance this election cycle of a polling outfit admitting to fabricating data, which the CIP researchers suggest could deepen public distrust of polling broadly. Partisan commentators on both sides have reportedly seized on the admission to argue polls undercounted their side's support, a narrative that researchers warn could feed into broader 'rigged election' claims once results are announced. How aggregators and newsrooms respond to being named by Wedgewood may also shape scrutiny of polling verification standards going forward.
- Wedgewood Polls admitted on October 20 that its political polling data was entirely fabricated.
- The firm called its actions a social experiment meant to highlight poor oversight in polling and named outlets that had cited its data.
- Researchers warn the admission is being used by partisans to allege bias and could fuel broader distrust in polling and election legitimacy.
Source: cip.uw.edu, 2026-10-24
Published there as: “From confession to conspiracy: How the Wedgewood fake polls story spread”
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