"Polls are not entertainment"

Ilres General Director Tommy Klein ‒ Ilres stands for Institut luxembourgeois de recherches sociales et d'études de marchés ‒ receives us late in the morning in the ultra-modern premises of the opinion research institute in Bartringen and, despite a packed agenda, takes all the time in the world to talk to us. The 37-year-old, who always wanted to do something "where you get to know society and understand it better" and who is very interested in politics, has a master's degree in sociology and philosophy and has been working at Ilres in various positions since April 2013.

Lëtzebuerger Journal: To start with a banal question: What is opinion research?

Tommy Klein: I see us as the mouthpiece of society. I think that there are not many occasions where the ordinary citizen has the opportunity to speak out. Surveys can be a means through which people can express their opinion and also contribute to a policy, for example when it comes to evaluating a decision. Opinion research gives society a voice.

Can you be a little more specific?

The role of opinion research is to neutrally cover the different opinions on a certain topic or issue in society and to communicate them to the outside world.

How much power do pollsters have?

You always have to find a balance between a neutral presentation of the results and the outward effect that a survey can have. I know that especially those surveys that are also published are strongly discussed in public and the people that appear in them are asked many a question about the results. Of course, one can speak of a certain influence. However, we also do a whole series of surveys that are not published.