CEPEL's Support for Alexandre Dézé

CEPEL is standing by Alexandre Dézé following a complaint filed against him by IFOP (the French Institute of Public Opinion).

Message from Alexandre Dézé:

IFOP ATTEMPTS TO SILENCE ACADEMICS

A few weeks ago, just as I was about to publish my book *10 Lessons on Political Polls* with De Boeck, I learned via certified mail that I was the subject of a defamation complaint filed by IFOP regarding the following remarks, made in *Le Monde* on September 11, 2020, concerning a survey by the polling institute that focused, among other things, on Muslims’ attitudes toward the Charlie Hebdo attacks: “With such a small sample size—515 people—this poll has no value, and its conclusions are questionable. The methodological flaws are outrageous, and yet there is an unshakable belief that these polls are science.”  
I am still trying to figure out what exactly is defamatory about these remarks. I can, moreover, demonstrate their validity. But perhaps that is not the main point. For nearly half a century, political scientists, sociologists, and statisticians have offered abundant criticism of opinion polls to highlight their methodological weaknesses and pseudoscientific nature. Ultimately, my remarks merely echoed these criticisms, with which pollsters are, incidentally, well acquainted. But it seems that IFOP—or at least some of its leaders—can no longer tolerate dissent. Yet polling institutes are supposed to contribute to the “proper” functioning of democracy, not seek to muzzle it. This is therefore, more broadly, an attack on freedom of expression and academic freedom, compounded by what amounts to a gag order, as was the case in the past with Alain Garrigou, who was sued at the time by Fiducial, a company affiliated with IFOP.  

I sought institutional protection from my university and had to hire a lawyer. And I intend to fight back against this despicable attempt to silence an academic.