Coffee Beans Could Hold Key to Election Results

Coffee Beans Could Hold Key to Election Results
By Fleur Revell
09 September 2014
Forget reading tea leaves, if you want an indication of who is likely to win this year’s highly controversial election then the answer could in fact be in the coffee beans.

A nationwide election poll which has previously predicted the New Zealand election results accurately to within less than 2% of the final result has launched again.

Before the 2008 election, the Muffin Break Bean Poll placed National on 44% with an actual vote of 45.5%, Labour on 32% (33.8%), Greens 11% (6.4%) and NZ First 4% (4.2%).

Similarly, in 2011 with close to 60,000 votes cast, the Bean Poll results were within 5% of the actual election outcome across all the parties.

This year, after the first three weeks of the Bean Poll, National in the lead at 42%, Labour on 28%, Greens on 12%, and the Maori Party on 7%. Other parties make up the remaining 11%.

Foodco General Manager Gary Croft says the accuracy of the poll may be due in part to the ease by which their customers can participate.

“Unlike the traditional phone survey methodology which needs a relatively high level of investment of time by potential respondents, the Muffin Break Bean Poll only asks customers who are already at the store, to drop a coffee bean in the container of their chosen party once they have chosen a hot drink for the day.”

“As a consequence of the convenient voting system, we can have thousands of votes cast by the time the election is held,” says Croft.

Croft says the poll is a fun way for Kiwis to show their support for a political party and in the past has demonstrated surprisingly accurate results.

For more information visit www.muffinbreak.co.nz

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