Latest news with #publicopinion
RNZ News
5 hours ago
- General
- RNZ News
ACT leader David Seymour suggested 'bots' drove 'fake submissions' against his Regulatory Standards Bill
ACT leader David Seymour has claimed 99.5 percent of the submissions received on the Regulatory Standards Bill were created using "bots". The Ministry for Regulation received approximately 23,000 submissions regarding a discussion document about the bill in January. In summarising the feedback, it found 88 percent of submitters opposed the proposed regulations, and 0.33 percent supported or partially supported them. But in an interview on this week's episode of 30 with Guyon Espiner , the newly-appointed deputy prime minister claimed most of the opposing submissions weren't valid. "You're smart enough to know that those 23,000 submissions, 99.5 percent of them, were because somebody figured out how to make a bot make fake submissions that inflated the numbers," Seymour said. The figures quoted were "meaningless" and represented nothing more than somebody "running a smart campaign with a bot". When asked what evidence Seymour had that the submissions were fake, he said it's because "we've looked at them. Because we know what the contents of them is". In a subsequent written statement to RNZ, Seymour said he was referring to "online campaigns" that generate "non-representative samples" that don't reflect public opinion. In a statement, Ministry for Regulation deputy chief executive policy Andrew Royle would not address Seymour's claims about bots directly. Royle said the ministry undertook a "robust process" to analyse all of the submissions received. "Our approach was carefully designed to reflect all submissions in the final analysis, noting there were many similar points made across most of the submissions," he said. The ministry's summary shows its process included a "qualitative" analysis of about 1000 individual submissions. Group submissions and submissions over 10,000 words were read separately. The rest were summarised using AI. There was nothing in the report about bots or other interference in the submissions process. Watch the full interview with David Seymour on 30 With Guyon Espiner . Subscribe to the podcast feed now to get every episode of 30 on your phone when it lands: Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Otago Andrew Geddis said the use of the word 'bots' was disparaging. "I think he's using bots in that kind of colloquial sense, which is an incredibly dismissive way to refer to individual New Zealanders taking the time to actually engage with his proposal. "If he means some sort of artificial intelligence, computer-generated filling out of the forms without any human intervention, that would have been reported to him by his officials. There was no such report." ActionStation director Kassie Hartendorp said Seymour was trying to discredit any opposition to his views. "If he presents some evidence that there were bots involved, and there's probably ways to be able to do that, if he presents evidence, then fine. But otherwise, it just seems like an outlandish claim that isn't matching up with reality." Kassie Hartendorp (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tuwharetoa) is the Director of ActionStation, a community campaigning platform. Photo: Supplied ActionStation and other campaigning organisations from across the political spectrum have previously created templates to help people write submissions. Hartendorp said those tools were not bots and meant make the submissions process more accessible. "The purpose of those submission tools is to be able to make it as clear and simple as possible, so that people, who might not ever have submitted before, or who don't have much time, can be involved with the democratic process." Clerk of the House of Representatives Dr David Wilson said he wasn't able to respond to Seymour's claims as the consultation in January was run by the Ministry for Regulation, but said there are protections in place against 'bots' during a select committee process. Similar claims about the impact of automated software were made during the submissions process on the Treaty Principles Bill in January, which attracted more than 300,000 submissions, but no evidence was found to support any such interference. "Our cybersecurity people were not aware that any of the submissions were made that way, and they do have security in place to alert them to if that was happening," Wilson said.
RNZ News
5 hours ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Act Party leader David Seymour suggested 'bots' drove 'fake submissions' against his Regulatory Standards Bill
ACT Party leader David Seymour claimed 99.5 percent of the submissions received on the Regulatory Standards Bill were created using "bots". The Ministry for Regulation received approximately 23,000 submissions regarding a discussion document about the bill in January. In summarising the feedback, it found 88 percent of submitters opposed the proposed regulations, and 0.33 percent supported or partially supported them. But in an interview on this week's episode of 30 with Guyon Espiner , the newly-appointed deputy prime minister claimed most of the opposing submissions weren't valid. "You're smart enough to know that those 23,000 submissions, 99.5 percent of them, were because somebody figured out how to make a bot make fake submissions that inflated the numbers," Seymour said. The figures quoted were "meaningless" and represented nothing more than somebody "running a smart campaign with a bot". When asked what evidence Seymour had that the submissions were fake, he said it's because "we've looked at them. Because we know what the contents of them is". In a subsequent written statement to RNZ, Seymour said he was referring to "online campaigns" that generate "non-representative samples" that don't reflect public opinion. In a statement, Ministry for Regulation deputy chief executive policy Andrew Royle would not address Seymour's claims about bots directly. Royle said the ministry undertook a "robust process" to analyse all of the submissions received. "Our approach was carefully designed to reflect all submissions in the final analysis, noting there were many similar points made across most of the submissions," he said. The ministry's summary shows its process included a "qualitative" analysis of about 1000 individual submissions. Group submissions and submissions over 10,000 words were read separately. The rest were summarised using AI. There was nothing in the report about bots or other interference in the submissions process. Watch the full interview with David Seymour on 30 With Guyon Espiner . Subscribe to the podcast feed now to get every episode of 30 on your phone when it lands: On Spotify On iHeartRadio On Apple podcasts Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Otago Andrew Geddis said the use of the word 'bots' was disparaging. "I think he's using bots in that kind of colloquial sense, which is an incredibly dismissive way to refer to individual New Zealanders taking the time to actually engage with his proposal. "If he means some sort of artificial intelligence, computer-generated filling out of the forms without any human intervention, that would have been reported to him by his officials. There was no such report." ActionStation director Kassie Hartendorp said Seymour was trying to discredit any opposition to his views. "If he presents some evidence that there were bots involved, and there's probably ways to be able to do that, if he presents evidence, then fine. But otherwise, it just seems like an outlandish claim that isn't matching up with reality." Kassie Hartendorp (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Tuwharetoa) is the Director of ActionStation, a community campaigning platform. Photo: Supplied ActionStation and other campaigning organisations from across the political spectrum have previously created templates to help people write submissions. Hartendorp said those tools were not bots and meant make the submissions process more accessible. "The purpose of those submission tools is to be able to make it as clear and simple as possible, so that people, who might not ever have submitted before, or who don't have much time, can be involved with the democratic process." Clerk of the House of Representatives Dr David Wilson said he wasn't able to respond to Seymour's claims as the consultation in January was run by the Ministry for Regulation, but said there are protections in place against 'bots' during a select committee process. Similar claims about the impact of automated software were made during the submissions process on the Treaty Principles Bill in January, which attracted more than 300,000 submissions, but no evidence was found to support any such interference. "Our cybersecurity people were not aware that any of the submissions were made that way, and they do have security in place to alert them to if that was happening," Wilson said.
National Post
11 hours ago
- General
- National Post
Less than half of Toronto residents approve of Mayor Olivia Chow's performance: poll
Less than half of Toronto residents approve of Mayor Olivia Chow's performance, according to a new poll. Article content Article content The Leger survey asked Toronto residents about their mayor as part of a broader poll on Ontario politics. Respondents were almost evenly split over Chow's handling of municipal affairs as she nears the end of her second year at the helm of Canada's largest city. Slightly less than half (48 per cent) of people strongly or somewhat approved of her performance, while 42 per cent said they strongly or somewhat disapproved. Another 10 per cent said they were not sure. Article content Article content 'Torontonians are on the fence about Mayor Chow,' Leger senior vice-president Jennifer McLeod Macey told National Post in an email. 'While the proportion that approve is nominally higher than those that disapprove, approval is soft. Indeed, almost twice as many strongly disapprove as strongly approve.' Article content Article content The poll found that 17 per cent strongly disapprove of Chow's performance, while only 10 per cent said they strongly approve. Article content Macey said that the market research company 'didn't have the opportunity to probe on the 'Why?'' in the latest survey, but she was interested in 'digging deeper into municipal issues, such as taxes, crime and safety, affordable housing, and transit which are all undoubtably having an impact on public opinion.' She found little 'variance' among different demographics in terms of Chow's approval rating, but pointed to 'more uncertainty among women and young-middle-aged adults.' Article content Whereas just six per cent of male respondents were unsure of Chow's job performance, 15 per cent of women were. A similar number of 18 to 34 year olds (14 per cent) and 35 to 54 year olds (15 per cent) were on the fence about Chow's performance as mayor. Greater communication 'on key issues could have a significant impact on overall approval ratings,' Macey said. Article content Article content Chow was elected in July 2023 following the resignation of John Tory over an affair with a political staffer 38 years younger than him. She had previously run for the post in 2014, placing third behind Doug Ford, who went on to become premier of Ontario, and Tory, who became mayor. Article content Article content Months after she was elected, Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Chow has been criticized by some city councillors for failing to protect Toronto's Jewish community. Beaches-East York Councillor Brad Bradford accused Chow of dragging her feet on municipal initiatives to protect local places of worship, notably synagogues that have been picketed by anti-Israel protesters. Article content 'In the fifteen months since October 7, an absence of leadership has turned Toronto into a city that many don't recognize,' Bradford wrote in National Post earlier this year. 'This is not a Jewish problem — it's a Toronto problem. This is about our values and who we want to be as a city. Unfortunately, as we enter 2025, this crisis has been met with a lack of leadership at the highest level.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
CNN Poll: A record share of Americans want the government to get more done. Few trust either party to do it
Neither the Republican nor the Democratic Party has consolidated a majority of the public behind its approach, with more than 4 in 10 saying that neither party can get things done or has strong leadership, a new CNN survey conducted by SSRS finds. Despite those widespread doubts, Americans increasingly say they see meaningful differences between the two parties. The poll, taken as public opinion resettles in the first months of Donald Trump's second administration, also finds a record-high share of the public saying that the government should be doing more to solve problems. Americans are evenly split on which party best reflects their views on the role of the federal government, with one-third of respondents saying neither party does. Amid a wave of skepticism among Democrats about their own party's effectiveness, the GOP currently holds the advantage across several key attributes — though with a shrinking advantage on the economy, which regularly polls as Americans' top concern. Americans see Republicans and Democrats as offering vastly contrasting visions of the country. An 81% majority say they see important differences between the two parties, marking an increase from two years ago across political, age and educational lines. Just 18% say the parties are 'pretty much the same,' down from 28% in 2023 and roughly one-third in CNN and Gallup polling dating back to 2002. But even among those who say there are critical differences between the two major parties, a sizable minority say neither reflects their vision across a range of issues: Nearly 20% who see such differences still say neither party reflects their perspective on at least 5 out of 9 issues they were asked about in the poll. Asked to choose which of the parties they see as the 'party that can get things done,' 'the party with strong leaders' or the 'party of change,' the lion's share of the public – more than 4 in 10 – say that neither party fits the bill. At the same time, most Americans, 58%, now say that the government should do more to solve the country's problems – a record high in more than 30 years of CNN's polling. While Democratic views on the role of government have remained largely unchanged over the past two years, the shares of Republicans and independents who say that the government is doing too many things have both fallen since the White House changed hands. While neither political party is viewed as especially strong or effective, skepticism weighs particularly heavily on the Democratic Party. Americans are far more likely to see Republicans than Democrats as the party with strong leaders: 40% say this descriptor applies more to the GOP, with just 16% saying it applies to the Democrats. They're also more likely to call Republicans the party that can get things done by 36% to 19%, and the party of change, by 32% to 25%. That's in large part because of relatively anemic support for Democrats among their own partisans. GOP-aligned adults are 50 points likelier than Democratic-aligned adults to say their own party has strong leaders, and 36 points likelier to view their party as able to get things done. True independents, those who don't lean toward either party, are particularly grim in their views of the parties on these issues: 76% say neither party has strong leaders or can get things done, and 72% that they view neither as the party of change. While the public as a whole sees the GOP as relatively effective, they also say, 41% to 30%, that it's better described as the party of extremism, the only attribute tested that fewer than 30% said applied to neither party. Roughly one-sixth of Republican-aligned adults say they view the GOP as representing extremism, compared with roughly one-tenth of Democratic-aligned adults who say the same of their own party. Beyond Americans' shifting views of government, the survey also finds ebbing belief in the achievability of the American Dream. A 54% majority says that most people who want to get ahead can make it if they're willing to work hard, down from 67% in 2016, and lower than other polling on the same question dating back to the 1990s. Nearly half, 45%, say they don't view hard work and determination as any guarantee of success for most people. That rises to a 52% majority of Black Americans and 53% among those younger than 30, as well as 53% of those who don't agree with either party on the economy, 65% among Democrats and 71% among those who describe themselves as liberal. Americans are closely split on which party represents the middle class, with a third saying neither does. The view that neither party stands for the middle class rises to 38% among those who say hard work and determination are no guarantee of success for most people. Asked which party best reflects their views on handling the economy more broadly – a perennial top issue that has frequently favored the GOP – the public gives the Republican Party an advantage, but a shrinking one. The party's 7-point margin on the issue now is down from 15 points in May 2022, and marks their narrowest advantage on the issue over that time. The Republican Party also sees a diminished edge on immigration, another typically strong topic for the Trump-led party: What was a 14-point lead in November 2023 now stands at just 6 points. Looking outward, Americans are now evenly divided on which party's views on world affairs more closely match their own, an issue where Republicans held a 6-point edge in 2023. Across issues tested in the poll, Republicans held the widest advantage – 13 points – on their approach to crime and policing, and that margin has largely held over time. The public also leans modestly toward the GOP when it comes to taxes (by a 7-point margin) and the federal budget (5 points). Support for legal abortion remains strong in CNN's polling, with a rising share of the public, 36%, now saying that abortion should be legal under any circumstances. Roughly 6 in 10 Democrats now say abortion should always be legal, up from 44% in 2016. In a CNN survey last year, a roughly two-thirds majority of the public opposed the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade. By a 10-point margin, Americans say their views on abortion align more with the Democrats than the Republicans, although that's down from a 16-point advantage in fall 2023. Roughly two-thirds of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say the GOP reflects their views on abortion – significantly lower than the share who side with their party on issues such as the economy or immigration. Amid internal Democratic arguments over the party's messaging on issues surrounding race and gender, the poll finds that Americans side with the Democratic Party over the Republican Party on the way society deals with LGBTQ issues by an 8-point margin and with racial issues and education by a 7-point margin each. By a wide margin, 72% to 27%, most Americans say that growing racial diversity does more to enrich than threaten American culture. That's slightly broader agreement than last fall, though it still falls short of the more than 8 in 10 who called diversity enriching during Trump's first term. The sense of diversity as a threat is largely concentrated among the GOP, particularly among Republican-aligned men. Currently, 45% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents call diversity a threat, up from just 20% who said the same in 2019, during Trump's first term in office. Democratic opinion has moved little in that time. Democrats held their widest advantage in the poll, 14 points, on handling climate change. A 58% majority of adults say they're at least somewhat worried about the risks of climate change in their community, down slightly from the 63% who said they were at least somewhat worried in the fall of 2023. About one-quarter in each poll said they were very worried. By a 5-point margin, Americans say their view of how to protect U.S. democracy aligns more with the Democratic Party than the Republican Party. Roughly half of Americans say that democracy in the U.S. today is under attack, with 36% saying it's being tested, and only about 13% that it's not in any danger. While these concerns have held roughly steady since 2021, partisan dynamics have shifted sharply in that time. In the latest poll, 72% of Democrats see democracy in crisis, compared with just 29% of Republicans. By contrast, during Joe Biden's presidency, concerns were either roughly balanced or higher among the GOP. The CNN poll was conducted among 2,539 adults nationwide by SSRS from May 5-26, using a combination of online and telephone interviews. The survey samples were originally drawn from two sources – an address-based sample and a random-digit dial sample of prepaid cell phone numbers – and combined. Respondents were initially contacted by mail or by phone. Results for the full sample have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points. CNN's Jennifer Agiesta and Edward Wu contributed to this report.
CNN
2 days ago
- Business
- CNN
CNN Poll: A record share of Americans want the government to get more done. Few trust either party to do it
Neither the Republican nor the Democratic Party has consolidated a majority of the public behind its approach, with more than 4 in 10 saying that neither party can get things done or has strong leadership, a new CNN survey conducted by SSRS finds. Despite those widespread doubts, Americans increasingly say they see meaningful differences between the two parties. The poll, taken as public opinion resettles in the first months of Donald Trump's second administration, also finds a record-high share of the public saying that the government should be doing more to solve problems. Americans are evenly split on which party best reflects their views on the role of the federal government, with one-third of respondents saying neither party does. Amid a wave of skepticism among Democrats about their own party's effectiveness, the GOP currently holds the advantage across several key attributes — though with a shrinking advantage on the economy, which regularly polls as Americans' top concern. Americans see Republicans and Democrats as offering vastly contrasting visions of the country. An 81% majority say they see important differences between the two parties, marking an increase from two years ago across political, age and educational lines. Just 18% say the parties are 'pretty much the same,' down from 28% in 2023 and roughly one-third in CNN and Gallup polling dating back to 2002. But even among those who say there are critical differences between the two major parties, a sizable minority say neither reflects their vision across a range of issues: Nearly 20% who see such differences still say neither party reflects their perspective on at least 5 out of 9 issues they were asked about in the poll. Asked to choose which of the parties they see as the 'party that can get things done,' 'the party with strong leaders' or the 'party of change,' the lion's share of the public – more than 4 in 10 – say that neither party fits the bill. At the same time, most Americans, 58%, now say that the government should do more to solve the country's problems – a record high in more than 30 years of CNN's polling. While Democratic views on the role of government have remained largely unchanged over the past two years, the shares of Republicans and independents who say that the government is doing too many things have both fallen since the White House changed hands. While neither political party is viewed as especially strong or effective, skepticism weighs particularly heavily on the Democratic Party. Americans are far more likely to see Republicans than Democrats as the party with strong leaders: 40% say this descriptor applies more to the GOP, with just 16% saying it applies to the Democrats. They're also more likely to call Republicans the party that can get things done by 36% to 19%, and the party of change, by 32% to 25%. That's in large part because of relatively anemic support for Democrats among their own partisans. GOP-aligned adults are 50 points likelier than Democratic-aligned adults to say their own party has strong leaders, and 36 points likelier to view their party as able to get things done. True independents, those who don't lean toward either party, are particularly grim in their views of the parties on these issues: 76% say neither party has strong leaders or can get things done, and 72% that they view neither as the party of change. While the public as a whole sees the GOP as relatively effective, they also say, 41% to 30%, that it's better described as the party of extremism, the only attribute tested that fewer than 30% said applied to neither party. Roughly one-sixth of Republican-aligned adults say they view the GOP as representing extremism, compared with roughly one-tenth of Democratic-aligned adults who say the same of their own party. Beyond Americans' shifting views of government, the survey also finds ebbing belief in the achievability of the American Dream. A 54% majority says that most people who want to get ahead can make it if they're willing to work hard, down from 67% in 2016, and lower than other polling on the same question dating back to the 1990s. Nearly half, 45%, say they don't view hard work and determination as any guarantee of success for most people. That rises to a 52% majority of Black Americans and 53% among those younger than 30, as well as 53% of those who don't agree with either party on the economy, 65% among Democrats and 71% among those who describe themselves as liberal. Americans are closely split on which party represents the middle class, with a third saying neither does. The view that neither party stands for the middle class rises to 38% among those who say hard work and determination are no guarantee of success for most people. Asked which party best reflects their views on handling the economy more broadly – a perennial top issue that has frequently favored the GOP – the public gives the Republican Party an advantage, but a shrinking one. The party's 7-point margin on the issue now is down from 15 points in May 2022, and marks their narrowest advantage on the issue over that time. The Republican Party also sees a diminished edge on immigration, another typically strong topic for the Trump-led party: What was a 14-point lead in November 2023 now stands at just 6 points. Looking outward, Americans are now evenly divided on which party's views on world affairs more closely match their own, an issue where Republicans held a 6-point edge in 2023. Across issues tested in the poll, Republicans held the widest advantage – 13 points – on their approach to crime and policing, and that margin has largely held over time. The public also leans modestly toward the GOP when it comes to taxes (by a 7-point margin) and the federal budget (5 points). Support for legal abortion remains strong in CNN's polling, with a rising share of the public, 36%, now saying that abortion should be legal under any circumstances. Roughly 6 in 10 Democrats now say abortion should always be legal, up from 44% in 2016. In a CNN survey last year, a roughly two-thirds majority of the public opposed the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade. By a 10-point margin, Americans say their views on abortion align more with the Democrats than the Republicans, although that's down from a 16-point advantage in fall 2023. Roughly two-thirds of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say the GOP reflects their views on abortion – significantly lower than the share who side with their party on issues such as the economy or immigration. Amid internal Democratic arguments over the party's messaging on issues surrounding race and gender, the poll finds that Americans side with the Democratic Party over the Republican Party on the way society deals with LGBTQ issues by an 8-point margin and with racial issues and education by a 7-point margin each. By a wide margin, 72% to 27%, most Americans say that growing racial diversity does more to enrich than threaten American culture. That's slightly broader agreement than last fall, though it still falls short of the more than 8 in 10 who called diversity enriching during Trump's first term. The sense of diversity as a threat is largely concentrated among the GOP, particularly among Republican-aligned men. Currently, 45% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents call diversity a threat, up from just 20% who said the same in 2019, during Trump's first term in office. Democratic opinion has moved little in that time. Democrats held their widest advantage in the poll, 14 points, on handling climate change. A 58% majority of adults say they're at least somewhat worried about the risks of climate change in their community, down slightly from the 63% who said they were at least somewhat worried in the fall of 2023. About one-quarter in each poll said they were very worried. By a 5-point margin, Americans say their view of how to protect U.S. democracy aligns more with the Democratic Party than the Republican Party. Roughly half of Americans say that democracy in the U.S. today is under attack, with 36% saying it's being tested, and only about 13% that it's not in any danger. While these concerns have held roughly steady since 2021, partisan dynamics have shifted sharply in that time. In the latest poll, 72% of Democrats see democracy in crisis, compared with just 29% of Republicans. By contrast, during Joe Biden's presidency, concerns were either roughly balanced or higher among the GOP. The CNN poll was conducted among 2,539 adults nationwide by SSRS from May 5-26, using a combination of online and telephone interviews. The survey samples were originally drawn from two sources – an address-based sample and a random-digit dial sample of prepaid cell phone numbers – and combined. Respondents were initially contacted by mail or by phone. Results for the full sample have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.
