EKOS Research Associates Inc. is a Canadian polling firm based in Ottawa, Canada, that specializes in public opinion, market and economic research.[1] It was founded in 1980 by Frank Graves, with $5,000 he borrowed from his father.[2][3] The name "EKOS" was taken from the Greek word oikos, meaning "house".[4]
The founder and president of the firm, Frank Graves, was involved in political controversies that led to allegations of bias. In April 2010, Graves was criticised for making disparaging remarks against the Conservative Party, such as "If the cranky old men in Alberta don't like it, too bad. Go south and vote for Palin."[7] As he provided polling services to the Canadian Broadcasting Company, a review was carried out, which concluded the matter had been dealt with.[8] Graves later apologized for "incendiary" comments and denied anti-Conservative bias in his polling.[9]
In April 2022, in a now-deleted post on Twitter, Graves called Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre an "authoritarian populist" and said he would "make sure you are never going to lead my country. I don't make idle threats".[10]
