Don Anderson once forecasted a political surge that never came. Now, as St. Kitts and Nevis pushes forward with measurable national progress under the Drew administration, the veteran pollster has returned—this time with data that conflicts not just with public reality, but with his already damaged credibility.
Anderson’s 2022 Debacle
In the lead-up to the 2022 general elections, Don Anderson, touted as a “renowned Caribbean pollster,” claimed that the People’s Labour Party (PLP), led by former Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris, was poised to win the election. According to Anderson, five polls conducted over four months and more than 4,000 interviews showed PLP gaining traction and closing in on victory, particularly in constituencies historically aligned with Labour or PAM.
However, election day exposed his polling for what it was—deeply flawed or dangerously partisan. The PLP secured only one seat (Dr. Harris’ own), PAM retained one seat, and the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party (SKNLP), led by Dr. Terrance Drew, swept the remaining six constituencies on St. Kitts, enabling Labour to form the government with a clear mandate.
The margin of error wasn’t academic—it was seismic.
Return of the Same Strategy
Now, nearly three years later, Anderson has released a new poll painting a grim portrait of the Labour administration. According to his latest survey of just 730 respondents, 84% rated the government’s performance between “average” and “very poor,” while only 17% held a positive view of Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew. The PLP, the same party decimated in 2022, is again portrayed as the most favoured.
The timing is no coincidence: the release came just ahead of the PLP’s national convention—mirroring his 2022 strategy of providing political cover to a weakened party leader. What makes the situation more troubling is the contradiction between Anderson’s findings and the real-world progress being recorded across the Federation.
A Government Delivering Tangible Results
Since assuming office, the Drew administration has implemented the Sustainable Island State Agenda (SISA), with ambitious reforms and visible achievements in infrastructure, social equity, and economic growth. Among the accomplishments:
- A nearly complete desalination plant will soon produce two million gallons of water daily, ending decades of shortages in Basseterre and surrounding areas.
- The Basseterre High School is being rebuilt after years of political delay, with a modern, climate-resilient campus set to open by 2027.
- A new General Hospital is under development, and the country’s first public MRI machine will be operational in 2025.
- Massive investments in geothermal energy, solar storage, and fuel diversification are underway, setting the stage for energy independence.
- The country has seen a record 750,000 cruise passengers and a 14% increase in air arrivals, while visitor spending in Q1 2025 totalled USD $24.3 million.
- Over EC $80 million in road works have already improved connectivity and safety across the island.
- The ASPIRE programme seeded over 4,000 savings accounts for children, teaching financial literacy and building generational wealth.
- A bold minimum wage increase to EC $12.50/hour took effect, alongside a temporary VAT reduction and the Budget Boost Wallet, which injected EC $40+ million into households.
Anderson’s poll, which suggests mass disapproval of this government, conflicts with the lived experience of Kittitians and Nevisians who are seeing—and benefiting from—real development.
Academic and Regional Criticism
Don Anderson’s methodology has come under sustained fire from regional academics. Professor Christopher Charles of the University of the West Indies (UWI) has long warned that commercial pollsters like Anderson lack the analytical rigour of political scientists and frequently misinterpret electoral dynamics. Professor Herbert Gayle has gone further, describing Anderson’s work as “socially puffed up” and methodologically stale.
These aren’t fringe opinions—they reflect growing discomfort with Anderson’s habit of inserting polling into politically strategic moments, often to the benefit of a particular party. In fact, Anderson himself has described polls as “strategic tools” rather than predictions, which critics interpret as a tacit admission that his work serves political agendas more than public insight.
In Jamaica, Anderson’s 2023 poll sparked backlash from the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), which dismissed his findings as “fictitious and contrived.” Concerns were also raised about sampling bias and question framing—issues that echo through his current work in St. Kitts and Nevis.
Contradictions and Credibility Gaps
The contradiction between the data and the country’s performance is too stark to ignore. If 84% of citizens truly viewed the government as failing, how is the economy growing, crime and violence on the decline, investments rising, and satisfaction with new border technologies at 4.9 out of 5 stars? Why are housing projects expanding, local contractors booming, and young people re-engaging with agriculture and technology training?
The answer may lie not in the people’s sentiment, but in the pollster’s intent.
Anderson operates Market Research Services Ltd., a consultancy with decades of political clients and commercial ties throughout the Caribbean. The absence of transparent funding disclosure for his polls and their repeated alignment with opposition party events raise ethical red flags that cannot be ignored.
Not Just Wrong—Irresponsible
Polls are powerful tools. They shape perception, influence news coverage, and can sway undecided voters. But when misused—when polls become political weapons rather than instruments of public insight—they undermine democracy.
Don Anderson has not just been wrong. He has been consistently unreliable in St. Kitts and Nevis, and dangerously aligned with partisan efforts to distort the national mood. His 2022 failure should have retired his authority in the Federation. Instead, he is back—repeating the same flawed methods with the same predictable outcome: misinformation.
The people of St. Kitts and Nevis deserve better. They deserve credible data, not political theatre. And they deserve analysis that reflects their lived realities—not wishful thinking from pollsters with a pattern of partisan intervention.
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