Photo by Timothée Lambrecq

The “election by donut” experiment conducted by Dunkin’ Donuts turned out results that were actually more accurate in predicting the election results than any scientific poll in the country.

Dunkin’ Donuts in Iceland decided last week to take part in the democratic experiment by offering identical chocolate-filled donuts, where the only difference between them was what party’s voting symbol they were decorated with. Consumers were encouraged to buy the donuts of the party of their choosing, which Dunkin’ Donuts subsequently counted towards a kind of “election by donut”.

Dunkin’ Donuts released their results the day before the election. By their count, the Independence Party came out on top with 28%; the Pirates got 18%; the Left-Greens got 16%; the Restoration Party got 12%; the Progressive Party got 10%; Bright Future got 7% and the Social Democrats got 5%.

The results were not only eerily similar to the actual election results; RÚV reports the donut elections proved more accurate than polls conducted by Gallup, Market and Media Research and others in prediction the election results.

There is no word out yet on whether or not Dunkin’ Donuts will repeat the experiment. If they do, we at least now have the most accurate predictor of electoral participation in Iceland: donut consumption.

Related:

Elections 2016: What Will Iceland’s Next Government Be?