Bobby Duffy

Bobby Duffy is a British polling expert and author who provides an in-depth analysis of current public attitudes towards major societal issues. His work focuses on how public opinion shapes and drives policy and decision-making, utilizing data gathered through meticulous research and polling techniques.

Duffy has authored a number of books, including The Perils of Perception: Why We’re Wrong About Nearly Everything (2017), The Person You Think I Am: Understanding Our Perceptions and Misperceptions of Others (2019), and co-authored How to Read People: Decoding Human Behavior Through Polling and Focus Groups (2019) with colleague Emmanual Tusiime. He is also the former Managing Director of Ipsos MORI- the second largest market research company in the world.

Duffy’s first book, The Perils of Perception, examines the dangers of blindly relying on public opinion when making vital decisions. He argues that while the public should be consulted on certain matters, public opinion is often misinformed and heavily influenced by the media and individual prejudice. Duffy goes further and demonstrates how relying solely on public opinion can impede progress and can often result in bad decisions being made- a concept he coins ‘The Perils of Perception’. He sheds light on subjects such as the application of public polling in the medical field and how it is used to falsely predict the success of medical treatments and products. In the book, Duffy confirms the vital role of data and objective information in policy decisions and calls for a more critical approach when viewing public opinion.

In his second book, The Person You Think I Am, Duffy touches on the psychological complexities of the human brain, specifically on the illogical basis on which we judge and perceive others. Duffy explores the science of how people form quick assessments of other people, motivated by ‘group-based non-rational thinking’. He argues that we form these snap judgements quickly, often without accurate information, and as a result, often wrongly judge others. Duffy provides explanations on the nature of why this occurs and how various factors in our environment such as media, nationality, and experiences contribute to this process.

Bobby Duffy has also explored how the misinformation and misunderstandings that arise from polling and public opinion can be tackled. Throughout his latest book, How to Read People, Duffy and Tusiime provide key insights on how to use polling data more effectively. They tackle the challenges of extrapolating data in complex and fast-paced environments, competently addressing the difficulties associated with analyzing patterns in voting behaviour, analyzing public opinion and trends, and leveraging perceptions from polling data.

Duffy’s books serve an important purpose in bringing to light the complexities of public opinion and its effect on policy decisions. His work has enabled an awareness of the wrongs of relying on public opinion in decision-making, as well as providing alternative solutions for making better policy decisions. His latest book gives an even more detailed insight into how to use polling data and how to read people. This book, as well as his other works, serves as a trusted guide to better understanding public opinion and using it effectively.