As of this writing, Versta is one of 67 prominent survey and polling organizations currently supporting the initiative. The initiative is designed to create protocols and recognition for regular disclosure of methods when survey organizations conduct public polls.

Trust in survey research and public polls is critical not only for the public good, but for the important work that we do for our clients.  Our clients rely on us to give them accurate data and truthful assessments. They can’t make good decisions without that. And they rely on us to ensure that when they share data with the public, it is backed by the most rigorous and defensible methods available in the social sciences. Transparency is one means of ensuring that all organizations are continually held to the highest standards of rigor and accuracy.

AAPOR began the initiative in 2009 “to encourage routine disclosure of methodological information from polls and surveys whose findings are released to the public.” The organization lists the following as key elements of the efforts now underway:

• The association’s public recognition of excellence in transparency;
• A system for collecting and archiving disclosure information;
• Education for organizations in how to make transparency a routine part of their work;
• Outreach to survey sponsors, users of survey data and the public to reinforce the value of transparency and to publicize the organizations that participate in the initiative;
• Collaboration with other associations and academic disciplines in these activities.

One benefit of working with an organization like Versta Research is that you can fully trust the outcomes of the research, and you can trust that we have the expertise to defend it.  You can also trust that we work diligently within the industry to protect the value of our collective investments in good research.

—Joe Hopper, Ph.D.

One of the tenets of rigorous market research is that respondent confidentiality is key.  Why?  Primarily because it benefits you as a client.  To make smart decisions, you need honest and thoughtful information from your customers and constituents.  In most cases, your customers want to give us that information (because they want you to do a better job) as long as it won’t come back to haunt them.

Versta Research adheres to the ethics guidelines for privacy as outlined by CASRO, AAPOR, and other industry organizations to which we belong.  The following two paragraphs nicely summarize our views and approach:

“Since individuals who are interviewed are the lifeblood of the Survey Research Industry, it is essential that Survey Research Organizations be responsible for protecting from disclosure to third parties–including Clients and members of the Public–the identity of individual Respondents as well as Respondent-identifiable information, unless the Respondent expressly requests or permits such disclosure.”  From the CASRO (Council of American Survey Research Organizations) Code of Standards and Ethics for Survey Research.

“Unless the respondent explicitly waives confidentiality for specified uses, we shall hold as privileged and confidential all information that could be used, alone or in combination with other reasonably available information, to identify a respondent with his or her responses. We also shall not disclose or use the names of respondents or any other personally-identifying information for non-research purposes unless the respondents grant us permission to do so.”  From the AAPOR (American Association for Public Opinion Research) Code of Professional Ethics & Practice.

If you need help deciding whether your research plan and approach appropriately protect the privacy of those participating in the research, we would be happy to advise.  We have deep experience with these issues in market research, membership research, political polling, and academic IRB (Institutional Review Board) mandates governing research under federal funding.

—Joe Hopper, Ph.D.

Two researchers recently came up with methods of testing whether polling data is legitimate in a case where a research firm is accused of falsifying publicly released data. The researchers examined the last digit of the numbers released by the polling firm, and calculated the probability of seeing these digits in their specific combinations and frequencies if the polls were legitimate.  It was an ingenious way of using sophisticated statistical methods to examine data where the accused firm refused to disclose details about its methods.  The New York Times calls it “forensic polling analysis” and notes that in this case, the odds suggest that the polling data were fraudulent.

There are a number of leading industry organizations that have outlined ethical guidelines and principles of disclosure for survey research, including:

• AAPOR, the American Association of Public Opinion Research
• NCPP, the National Council on Public Polls
• CASRO, the Council of American Survey Research Organizations

Versta Research believes these guidelines are important to the health and integrity of research.  We adhere to them and encourage our clients to do so as well.  If you are unsure about your ethical obligations when releasing polling data to the public, give us a call and we can help you make sense of the guidelines.

–Joe Hopper, Ph.D.