World Association for Public Opinion Research
Encyclopedia
The World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR) is an international
professional association of researcher
s in the fields of communication
and survey research
. It is a member organization of the International Social Science Council
.
as the World Congress on Public Opinion Research, the association acquired its current name in 1948, at the Third International Conference on Public Opinion Research.
In 1953, it became the sole nongovernment consultant organization to UNESCO
in the field of polling.
Its current president is Tom W. Smith (NORC
) and the vice president is Alejandro Moreno
(Reforma
, in Mexico
).
Among the former presidents of WAPOR are Juan Linz
, Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann
, Robert Worcester
and Seymour Martin Lipset
.
In 1970, WAPOR had more than 300 members from 41 countries.
As of 2010, the association has nearly 500 members from research institute
s and universities in over 60 countries on six continents.
, a social science journal published by Oxford University Press
.
The association also holds an annual conference
in North America in even-numbered years, in cooperation with the American Association for Public Opinion Research
, and in Europe in odd-numbered years, in cooperation with the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research
.
Since 1981, WAPOR offers the Helen Dinerman Award – created to honour sociologist Helen Dinerman
– to individuals who have made "significant contributions to survey research methodology".
Prior recipients include social scientists Philip Converse
, Louis Guttman,
Roger Jowell
,
Elihu Katz
,
Juan Linz
, Seymour Martin Lipset
,
Robert K. Merton
,
Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann
,
Sidney Verba
,
Robert Worcester
, and Daniel Yankelovich
.
, described WAPOR as "the leading professional association of pollsters working outside the United States".
Herbert Weisberg, a political scientist at The Ohio State University and former president of the Midwest Political Science Association,
further credited WAPOR with contributing to the internationalization, and thereby the professionalization
, of the field of survey research.
International nongovernmental organization
The World Bank defines a non-governmental organization as "private organizations that pursue activities to relieve suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the environment, provide basic social services, or undertake community development"...
professional association of researcher
Researcher
A researcher is somebody who performs research, the search for knowledge or in general any systematic investigation to establish facts. Researchers can work in academic, industrial, government, or private institutions.-Examples of research institutions:...
s in the fields of communication
Communication studies
Communication Studies is an academic field that deals with processes of communication, commonly defined as the sharing of symbols over distances in space and time. Hence, communication studies encompasses a wide range of topics and contexts ranging from face-to-face conversation to speeches to mass...
and survey research
Survey research
Survey research a research method involving the use of questionnaires and/or statistical surveys to gather data about people and their thoughts and behaviours. This method was pioneered in the 1930s and 1940s by sociologist Paul Lazarsfeld. The initial use of the method was to examine the effects...
. It is a member organization of the International Social Science Council
International Social Science Council
The International Social Science Council is an international organisation that aims to promote the social and behavioural sciences. It was founded in 1952, under the auspices of UNESCO.-External links:* **...
.
History
Established in 1947 at the Second International Conference on Public Opinion Research held in Williamstown, MassachusettsWilliamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,754 at the 2010 census...
as the World Congress on Public Opinion Research, the association acquired its current name in 1948, at the Third International Conference on Public Opinion Research.
In 1953, it became the sole nongovernment consultant organization to UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
in the field of polling.
Its current president is Tom W. Smith (NORC
National Opinion Research Center
NORC at the University of Chicago, established in 1941 as the National Opinion Research Center, is one of the largest and most highly respected social research organizations in the United States. Its corporate headquarters are located on the University of Chicago campus...
) and the vice president is Alejandro Moreno
Alejandro Moreno
Alejandro Moreno is a Venezuelan footballer. He played for the Dallas Texans Soccer Club before attending UNC Greensboro. He currently plays for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.-College:...
(Reforma
Reforma
Reforma is a Mexican newspaper based in Mexico City. It has 276,700 readers in Mexico City. The paper shares content with other papers in parent newsgroup Grupo Reforma. The cumulative readership of the newsgroup is above 400,000...
, in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
).
Among the former presidents of WAPOR are Juan Linz
Juan Linz
Juan José Linz is a Spanish sociologist and political scientist. He is Sterling Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Yale University and an honorary member of the Scientific Council at the Juan March Institute...
, Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann
Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann
Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann was a German political scientist. Her most famous contribution is the model of the spiral of silence, detailed in The Spiral of Silence : Public Opinion – Our Social Skin...
, Robert Worcester
Robert Worcester
Sir Robert Milton Worcester, KBE, DL is the founder of MORI and a member and contributor to many voluntary organisations. He is a well known figure in British public opinion research and political circles and as a media commentator, especially about voting intentions in British and American...
and Seymour Martin Lipset
Seymour Martin Lipset
Seymour Martin Lipset was an American political sociologist, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, and the Hazel Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University. His major work was in the fields of political sociology, trade union organization, social stratification, public opinion, and...
.
Membership
Over time, WAPOR's membership has grown and become more international. In 1956, roughly a decade after its founding, the association had 158 members from about 20 countries; by 1962, these figures had risen to approximately 200 and more than 30, respectively.In 1970, WAPOR had more than 300 members from 41 countries.
As of 2010, the association has nearly 500 members from research institute
Research institute
A research institute is an establishment endowed for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research...
s and universities in over 60 countries on six continents.
Activities
WAPOR sponsors the International Journal of Public Opinion ResearchInternational Journal of Public Opinion Research
The International Journal of Public Opinion Research is a quarterly social science journal sponsored by the World Association for Public Opinion Research and published by Oxford University Press....
, a social science journal published by Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
.
The association also holds an annual conference
Academic conference
An academic conference or symposium is a conference for researchers to present and discuss their work. Together with academic or scientific journals, conferences provide an important channel for exchange of information between researchers.-Overview:Conferences are usually composed of various...
in North America in even-numbered years, in cooperation with the American Association for Public Opinion Research
American Association for Public Opinion Research
The American Association for Public Opinion Research , founded in 1947, is an organization of approximately 1900 survey research professionals from academia, non-profit organizations, polling firms, and government...
, and in Europe in odd-numbered years, in cooperation with the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research
European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research
The European Society for Opinion and Market Research is a world association for market, social and opinion researchers.Founded in 1948, ESOMAR began as a regional association within Europe...
.
Since 1981, WAPOR offers the Helen Dinerman Award – created to honour sociologist Helen Dinerman
Helen Dinerman
Helen Schneider Dinerman was an American sociologist and public opinion researcher.- Biography :Born in New York City in 1920, Dinerman received her education at Hunter College and Columbia University...
– to individuals who have made "significant contributions to survey research methodology".
Prior recipients include social scientists Philip Converse
Philip Converse
Philip Ernest Converse is an American political scientist. He is a professor emeritus in political science at the University of Michigan, is a seminal figure in the field of public opinion. His article "The Nature of Belief Systems in Mass Publics" Philip Ernest Converse (born 1928) is an...
, Louis Guttman,
Roger Jowell
Roger Jowell
Sir Roger Mark Jowell, CBE is a British social statistician and academic.-Early life:He was born in South Africa, and was active there in left-wing politics....
,
Elihu Katz
Elihu Katz
Elihu Katz is an American and Israeli sociologist.-Biography:Katz has spent most of a lifetime in research on communication, his main focus being the interplay between media, conversation, opinion, and action in the public sphere...
,
Juan Linz
Juan Linz
Juan José Linz is a Spanish sociologist and political scientist. He is Sterling Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Yale University and an honorary member of the Scientific Council at the Juan March Institute...
, Seymour Martin Lipset
Seymour Martin Lipset
Seymour Martin Lipset was an American political sociologist, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, and the Hazel Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University. His major work was in the fields of political sociology, trade union organization, social stratification, public opinion, and...
,
Robert K. Merton
Robert K. Merton
Robert King Merton was a distinguished American sociologist. He spent most of his career teaching at Columbia University, where he attained the rank of University Professor...
,
Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann
Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann
Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann was a German political scientist. Her most famous contribution is the model of the spiral of silence, detailed in The Spiral of Silence : Public Opinion – Our Social Skin...
,
Sidney Verba
Sidney Verba
Sidney Verba is an American political scientist, librarian and library administrator. His academic interests are mainly American and comparative politics. He was the Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor at Harvard University. He also served Harvard as the director of the Harvard University...
,
Robert Worcester
Robert Worcester
Sir Robert Milton Worcester, KBE, DL is the founder of MORI and a member and contributor to many voluntary organisations. He is a well known figure in British public opinion research and political circles and as a media commentator, especially about voting intentions in British and American...
, and Daniel Yankelovich
Daniel Yankelovich
Daniel Yankelovich is a public opinion analyst and social scientist.-Education:After attending Boston Latin School, Yankelovich graduated from Harvard University in 1946 and 1950 before completing postgraduate studies at the Sorbonne in France. As a psychology professor he has taught at New York...
.
Influence
Richard Morin, former polling director of The Washington PostThe Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, described WAPOR as "the leading professional association of pollsters working outside the United States".
Herbert Weisberg, a political scientist at The Ohio State University and former president of the Midwest Political Science Association,
further credited WAPOR with contributing to the internationalization, and thereby the professionalization
Professionalization
Professionalization is the social process by which any trade or occupation transforms itself into a true "profession of the highest integrity and competence." This process tends to involve establishing acceptable qualifications, a professional body or association to oversee the conduct of members...
, of the field of survey research.