We are excited to announce the Call for Abstracts for the 78th Annual WAPOR Conference, which will take place May 12-15, 2025, in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, in conjunction with the 80th Annual AAPOR Conference. This joint event is a leading forum for discussing advancements in public opinion and survey research, providing an opportunity for networking, learning about the latest research trends, and engaging with diverse experts from across the globe. The venue for the conjoined AAPOR and WAPOR conferences is the St. Louis Union Station. 

The call for abstracts is open now, and we encourage submissions aligned with this year’s special conference theme, as well as other topics related to public opinion and survey research. The theme for 2025 reflects the complex and evolving landscape of election polls, focusing on the challenges and innovations that have emerged in a world increasingly shaped by political polarization, misinformation, and technological change. We welcome submissions on a variety of relevant topics, and look forward to your contributions to what promises to be a rich and insightful event.

Elections are sacred matters, so November is our sacred month.

I am not talking about any national election, but our own WAPOR annual election. I am writing this letter exactly in the middle of our 4-week election period. This year, we have a record number of 4 Council positions open for election, and we have a record high of 9 candidates joining the election. This is a significant achievement.

With our constitutional reform completed last year, all seats in our Council are now returned by election. Two posts previously appointed by the President have become elected, plus one more position added last year, we now have a record number of 10 elected Councillors, which is a big jump from 7 when I started my presidency.

Unfortunately, as members should have known by now, one important elected seat has become vacant due to the resignation after this year’s election cycle started on September 15, so it was too late to fill this seat by election. I quote the following message from a bulkmail sent to members by our Electoral Committee on October 31:

We are writing in advance of the election to regretfully inform you that our Vice President, David Jodice, last week resigned his position on the Council. At this time, we do not have additional information regarding the reasons for his resignation and wish to respect his privacy. We are informing you of this now in order to make certain this information is public knowledge before election ballots are distributed and to assure you that the election will be held to the highest standards in a manner consistent with past practice. After the election is finalized, WAPOR’s Council intends to consult with members regarding how best to fill the vacancy in our leadership that has been left by this sudden resignation.

In 2024, the world witnessed a historic surge in elections, with over a billion people already casting their votes. As Time Magazine describes it, this is a “make-or-break year for democracy,” a year where the sheer volume and diversity of elections could significantly influence the global democratic landscape. At the center of this global wave lies Asia, a region where elections in countries like Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, South Korea, and Indonesia have drawn international attention. Together, these nations represent over 25% of the world’s population, making their choices and democratic processes a critical lens through which to view the current state of democracy.

WAPOR Latin America, the regional chapter of the World Association for Public Opinion Research which brings together specialists in research on public opinion, communication and political behavior, will meet in the beautiful city of Florianópolis, southern Brazil, on occasion of its XI Congress, which will be an exclusively onsite event. During three days, from April 28 to 30, 2025, scholars, consultants, pollsters, professionals from private market and public opinion research agencies and specialists in the areas of social and political communication who focus in Latin America will meet at the premises of UFSC (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina) for insightful exchanges of ideas, knowledge and experiences.

Dear WAPOR members,

WAPOR invites expressions of interest to expand the following our Committees:

• Finance Committee: 1 member

• Membership Committee: 2 members

The period of service shall be 2025-2026.

To learn more about the activities of the WAPOR committees, please, consult the WAPOR Constitution: https://wapor.org/about-wapor/constitution/ 

To learn about the committee chairs and other members, please, check the WAPOR website: https://wapor.org/about-wapor/committees/

WAPOR Committees are important bodies that both facilitate and guide the development of the Association. We very much look forward to welcoming new members aboard the WAPOR Committees!

The World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR) is seeking new National Representatives for the 2025-2026 term. National Representatives serve as the primary liaison between WAPOR and their respective countries, promoting WAPOR’s mission, fostering collaboration, and providing updates on public opinion research activities within their region. The list of countries open for nominations and self-nominations for the 2025-2026 term is included below.

Countries 

Afghanistan, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Canada, Congo, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Finland, Gabon, Guatemala, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Iceland, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Malta, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Panama, Philippines, Qatar, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Trinidad, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

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