American Association for Public Opinion Research

The American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) is a professional organization of more than 2,000 public opinion and survey research professionals in the United States and from around the world, with members from academia, media, government, the non-profit sector and private industry. AAPOR publishes three academic journals: Public Opinion Quarterly, Survey Practice and the Journal for Survey Statistics and Methodology. It holds an annual research conference and maintains a "Code of Professional Ethics and Practices", for survey research which all members agree to follow.

AAPOR's stated principle is that public opinion research is essential to a healthy democracy, providing information crucial to informed policy-making and giving voice to people's beliefs, attitudes and desires. Through its annual conference, standards and ethics codes and publications, AAPOR seeks to promote a better public understanding of the role of public opinion research in a democracy, as well as the sound and ethical conduct and use of public opinion research.

Standards and ethics

Promoting standards and ethics is central AAPOR's mission. The individuals who are members of AAPOR agree to observe the organization's Code of Professional Ethics and Practices[1] that define and mandate the proper practice of public opinion and survey research with the appropriate use of research results. The Code is designed to express fundamental principles that apply to the conduct of research regardless of an individual's membership in AAPOR. Adherence to the principles and actions set out in the Code is possible for of all public opinion and survey researchers, whether they are AAPOR members or not.

Under the Code, practitioners of survey research are expected to conduct their research with care, taking all reasonable steps to assure the reliability and validity of the results and communicate their methods and findings accurately with appropriate detail. The AAPOR code details the standards for dealing with research participants and identifiable information. And it indicates the need to provide clients with all information regarding possible research limitations and the need for disclosure.

The latest revision was approved in May 2015.

Transparency Initiative

In October 2014, AAPOR launched the Transparency Initiative (TI)[2] to encourage research organizations to disclose their methodological procedures fully and rigorously when reporting survey-based findings. AAPOR established a set of principles for disclosure and then invited organizations to apply to join the TI effort and be recognized for their promise to comply with the guidelines. Joining the TI does not imply any judgment about the quality or rigor of the methods being disclosed. The purpose of TI is to promote understanding of the relationship between methodology and survey quality, increase adherence to AAPOR's Code of Professional Ethics and Practices and enable members of the media and the public to evaluate survey quality.

Presidents

The AAPOR Awards

Each year, AAPOR presents a portfolio of awards to recognize distinguished work in the profession, as well as to further the education of students and early career researchers; these awards are the highest honors given by the AAPOR.

AAPOR Awards
Award Description
The AAPOR Award (lifetime achievement) Association's lifetime achievement award. It is given for an outstanding contribution to the field of public opinion research, including: advances in theory, empirical research and methods; improvements in ethical standards; and promotion of understanding among the public, media and/or policy makers.
The Warren J. Mitofsky Innovators Award Designed to recognize accomplishments in the fields of public opinion and survey research that occurred in the past ten years, or that had their primary impact on the field during the past decade. These innovations could consist of new theories, ideas, applications, methodologies or technologies. To be considered for the award, they must be publicly documented. The award can be given to individuals, groups or institutions.
The Seymour Sudman Student Paper Competition In memory of Seymour Sudman; it recognizes his many important contributions to AAPOR as well as his teaching and mentoring students in the survey research profession.
The Burns "Bud" Roper Fellow Award In memory of Burns "Bud" Roper who provided a substantial bequest in his will to endow the Roper Award fund. Roper Fellows are people whose primary work responsibilities are related to survey research or public opinion and who have recently started their careers. They receive financial assistance to help them attend the annual conference and/or participate in conference short courses; most are first-time conference attendees.
The AAPOR Policy Impact Award Developed to acknowledge that a key purpose of opinion and other survey research is to facilitate better informed decisions. The award recognizes outstanding research that has had a clear impact on improving policy decisions, practice and discourse, either in the public or private sectors.
The AAPOR Book Award Designed to recognize influential books that have stimulated theoretical and scientific research in public opinion; and/or influenced our understanding or application of survey research methodology. Eligibility for the AAPOR Book Award includes any book in the field that is at least three years old (to allow time for books to be read and reviewed), including any published before or during the period covered by the list of the Fifty Books That Have Significantly Shaped Public Opinion Research 1946-1995.” (The books on the “Fifty Books” list have already been recognized by AAPOR and are not eligible for the annual book award.)
The AAPOR Student Travel Award Established to fund students to attend the AAPOR Annual Conference. The Student Travel Awards are offered to students who are in need of financial support so that they may attend the annual conference and experience this important educational and networking event for survey methodology and public opinion researchers.
The WAPOR/AAPOR Janet A. Harkness Student Paper Award Established in 2013 in fond memory of Dr. Harkness, internationally recognized for her contributions to cross-cultural survey methodology. The award recognizes emerging young scholars in the study of multi-national/multi-cultural/multi-lingual survey research (aka 3M survey research) by offering a cash prize and support for participation in the WAPOR/AAPOR Conference. The award is co-sponsored by WAPOR and AAPOR. All contributions to the Harkness Fund are passed back directly to WAPOR.

Annual Conference

The annual conference offers a forum for innovative research, workshops and discussion forums for public opinion researchers and practitioners of diverse disciplines from around the world. Attendees learn the latest trends in the field, network with colleagues and make new connections.

Upcoming Annual Conferences

Task Force Reports

As needed, AAPOR may commission a working group to address topical issues relating to the survey research industry. These working groups produce reports to introduce new methods, address methodological concerns or provide guidance on the application of specific research methods. Here are some of those Task Force Reports:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "AAPOR Code of Professional Ethics and Practices".
  2. ↑ "AAPOR Transparency Initiative".
  3. ↑ http://www.aapor.org/Conference-Events/Upcoming-Conferences.aspx
  4. ↑ "New Hampshire Polls & Outcome". American Association for Public Opinion Research. 2008-01-09.
  5. ↑ AAPOR Cell Phone Task Force (2008-04-00). "AAPOR Cell Phone Task Force Report" (PDF). American Association for Public Opinion Research. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ↑ ad hoc AAPOR Committee on the 2008 Presidential Primary Polling (2009-03-30). "An Evaluation of the Methodology of the 2008 Pre-Election Primary Polls: Report of ad hoc AAPOR Committee on the 2008 Presidential Primary Polling" (PDF). American Association for Public Opinion Research.
  7. ↑ "Report to the AAPOR Standards Committee on the status of Human Subjects Protection Training Requirements" (PDF). American Association for Public Opinion Research. 2009-05-19.
  8. ↑ AAPOR Opt In Online Panel Task Force (2010-03-24). "AAPOR Opt In Online Panel Task Force Report" (PDF). American Association for Public Opinion Research.
  9. ↑ AAPOR Cell Phone Task Force (2010-10-28). "AAPOR 2010 Cell Phone Task Force Report". American Association for Public Opinion Research.
  10. ↑ "AAPOR Statement on Understanding a "credibility interval"" (PDF). American Association for Public Opinion Research. 2012-10-07.
  11. ↑ AAPOR Task Force (2013-05-17). "Mobile Technologies for Conducting, Augmenting and Potentially Replacing Surveys" (PDF). American Association for Public Opinion Research.
  12. ↑ AAPOR Task Force on Public Opinion and Leadership (2013-09-02). "Polling and Democracy: Report of the AAPOR Task Force on Public Opinion and Leadership" (PDF). American Association for Public Opinion Research.
  13. ↑ AAPOR Task Force on Emerging Technologies in Public Opinion Research (2014-05-12). "Mobile Technologies for Conducting, Augmenting and Potentially Replacing Surveys" (PDF). American Association for Public Opinion Research.
  14. ↑ AAPOR Task Force on Emerging Technologies in Public Opinion Research (2014-05-30). "Social Media and Public Opinion Research" (PDF). American Association for Public Opinion Research.
  15. ↑ AAPOR Survey Refusals Task Force (2014-09-08). "Current Knowledge and Considerations Regarding Survey Refusals" (PDF). American Association for Public Opinion Research.
  16. ↑ AAPOR Big Data Task Force (2015-02-15). "AAPOR Report on Big Data" (PDF). American Association for Public Opinion Research.
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