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“Someone released the single-day results that were used for internal purposes and they weren’t reliable,” Graves said. “First, we didn’t have enough cases (to sample) and second, things tend to sort themselves out when you roll it out over several days.

“The results you see are quite different. You still see the NDP doing much better than the previous week, but there’s quite a bit of difference.”

The research firm surveyed 1,021 Ontario residents aged 18 over a two-day period (May 23 and 24).

According to EKOS, there’s volatility in the poll numbers thanks to millennial voters, who seem to shift their political allegiances daily. While the Conservatives may have enjoyed an early modest lead, the poll showed the young vote shifted to the NDP’s side.

“They (millennials) seem to be telling us something different night-to-night. This suggests that they’re either not paying attention and not answering (the questions) carefully, or they’re really unhinged on what their preferences are,” said Graves.

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Graves said there will be turbulence when it comes to the young vote because they will be critical of issues that affect them. He predicts the millennial vote will be the largest voting group in the upcoming provincial election, compared to the baby boomer demographic, which has long been the majority voting group.

Graves said it’s hard to tell whether political volatility will affect the election polls. He said the NDP is the only party that has shown a real clear momentum heading into June 7 election day.

“They’ve entered this race favoured pretty much since the last election until this one,” Graves said. “To see them up in the upper to mid-30s (percentage in the EKOS poll) is great momentum. I think they have clearly got way more wind in the sails compared to the Conservatives.”

The margin of error associated with the total sample is +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

echau@postmedia.com