Letter from WAPOR President (June 2025)
Dear WAPOR members,
It’s been a busy and energizing few months for our community. From regional events and webinars to the Annual Conference in St. Louis, WAPOR’s second quarter was full of activity — and full of people coming together to share knowledge, ask good questions, and keep public opinion research moving forward.
Spring of 2025 began with the release of a public statement from WAPOR on social science data collection and access. In response to growing legal and political barriers faced by researchers in many parts of the world, the statement reaffirms WAPOR’s commitment to defending the right to collect and publish public opinion data freely and responsibly. It outlines key principles on transparency, ethical standards, and the protection of academic and professional work. We invite all members to read and share the full statement.
I am also delighted to share that this Spring WAPOR has applied for a renewal of the Consultative Status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). This status will allow WAPOR to contribute directly to the UN’s work on issues related to public opinion, democratic governance, and human rights. It ensures that the voice of our global research community is represented in high-level international discussions and reaffirms the relevance of our work in shaping evidence-based policymaking.
The biggest moment of the year was no doubt our annual meeting. From May 12 to 15, we gathered in St. Louis, United States, for WAPOR’s 78th Conference, organized jointly with AAPOR. This year’s theme — “The Evolving Landscape of Election Polls: Challenges, Biases, and Innovations in a Polarized World” — felt especially timely, and it sparked numerous discussions across disciplines, regions, and methodological traditions. We were joined by 151 participants from 38 countries, a powerful reminder of the global reach of this community. Whether you presented a paper, asked a tough question, or shared a coffee with a colleague you hadn’t seen in years — thank you for being part of it. The full conference program, including access to many presentation materials, remains available online. I use this occasion to once again express gratitude to the Conference Committee who brought this event to life — Wolfgang Aschauer (Chair), Jonathan Evans, Chase Harrison, Olga Kamenchuk, Timothy Johnson, and Henning Silber. Organizing an international academic conference is no small task. Thank you for your time, professionalism, and patience!
During the conference, we also held WAPOR’s Annual Business Meeting, where leadership and committee updates were shared with members. This included ongoing strategic planning and the upcoming constitutional review process. A full summary of the meeting is available online.
During the Annual Conference, WAPOR’s Special Committee on Transparency, chaired by Gary Langer, presented four key initiatives aimed at bolstering openness and accountability across our association. These include a new IJPOR Transparency Policy requiring authors to archive replication materials, updates to the WAPOR Code of Ethics via a proposed WAPOR Transparency Alliance, enhanced disclosure guidelines for conference and webinar content (including a star-rating system for abstracts), and a Sunshine Policy that would increase access to WAPOR archival records. The committee’s full presentation is available online, and we invite feedback from all members.
In St. Louis, we also took the opportunity to celebrate outstanding achievements in our field. This year’s awards were exceptional: the Naomi C. Turner Prize for the best paper presented by a graduate student went to Chloe Mortenson (USA); the Janet A. Harkness Award for the best paper in multi-national, multi-regional, or multi-cultural survey research (3M survey research) by a student went to Phuong Linh Nguyen (Vietnam/UK); the Elizabeth H. Nelson Prize for the best paper from a society in transition went to Nebil Belaam (Tunisia); the Alexis de Tocqueville Award for the best paper on democracy and public opinion went to Thomas Roessing, Kristina Beckmann, Leonie Krzistetzko, Günther Rager, and Michael Steinbrecher (Germany); the Robert M. Worcester Prize for the best article in IJPOR went to Jennifer Brundidge and Kelly Garrett (USA); the Helen H. Dinerman Award for lifetime achievement in public opinion research was awarded to Ian McAllister (Australia). Congratulations to all winners! And thank you to the award committees who reviewed submissions from around the world.
I use this occasion to share the greetings from Wolfgang Aschauer, the Chair of the Conference Committee:
“From May 12–15, 2025, the 78th WAPOR Conference took place at the historic St. Louis Union Station, Missouri. Attendance was modest, with just over 150 participants, largely due to factors beyond our control. Despite challenging conditions in the U.S., my team on the conference committee and the WAPOR Executive worked hard to ensure the event’s success. This could be seen in the coherent high-quality program. Smaller sessions featuring just three speakers allowed for more time for discussion and feedback, fostering valuable academic exchange.
I want to extend my special thanks to keynote speaker Erik Nisbet, who opened the conference with a compelling address on “The Emergence of the Illiberal Voter.” Another standout event was the roundtable “Elections Worldwide: Challenges and Innovations,” organized by Olga Kamenchuk, which offered insightful perspectives on elections across the U.S., Europe, and Iran.
This year’s collaboration with the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) was stronger than ever. We co-hosted a joint plenary on U.S. election polls, attended by over 600 guests, along with joint sessions and social events that strengthened dialogue and cooperation between our professional communities.
It has become clear this year that democracy in the U.S. faces serious challenges, and new visa restrictions have impacted public opinion research and our global community. The conference theme “The Evolving Landscape of Election Polls: Challenges, Biases, and Innovations in a Polarized World” was especially timely. Rising polarization, democratic backsliding, and digital transformations affecting our profession present pressing challenges worldwide.
But WAPOR’s strength remains its international, comparative perspective. We are now working to secure a vibrant location for next year’s conference, likely Mexico City, aiming to match or exceed the 2024 record attendance in Seoul. Promoting global dialogue in public opinion research and enabling accessible conferences for our global community is my main goal, because this is more important than ever in our socially turbulent times.”
Just before the WAPOR Annual Conference, WAPOR’s Latin American chapter held its XI Regional Congress in Florianópolis, Brazil. Themed “Public Opinion, Civism and Global Risks in Latin America,” the event was the largest in the chapter’s history, with over 400 in-person participants from 18 countries. The program featured 80 sessions, nearly 300 presentations, five free workshops, and three keynote speakers. Evaluations showed high satisfaction, with 96% of attendees saying they would recommend the congress. The congress also attracted many newcomers to WAPOR: 70% of participants were attending their first WAPOR event, and 27% were early-career researchers. This strong participation contributed to remarkable growth in the chapter’s membership, which expanded from 24 members in early 2023 to nearly 300 by March 2025. In addition to its academic program, the congress continued the Catterberg Award tradition and introduced the new Brawn Award for the best article in RLOP. Congratulations to the LATAM team for organizing a dynamic, inclusive, and well-attended gathering that will no doubt have lasting impact across the region.
I use this occasion to share the greetings from Fabian Echegaray, President of WAPOR Latam Regional Chapter in 2023-2025:
“WAPOR Latin America held its largest and best rated Conference ever! From April 28th to 30th, 2025, the Latin American chapter held its 11th Conference in the island of Florianópolis, south of Brazil, which happened to be a record-breaking event. Among the unique features of the Congress we highlight 400 registered professionals and students, a line-up of nearly 80 sessions full of lively and engaging discussions, 10 sponsors enabling such a big event, 5 top-level workshops free for attendants (first time ever among the Chapter’s conferences), 90% satisfaction with the content and lessons learned from the papers and panels, and 96% willingness to recommend future WAPOR LATAM conferences. Representatives from 18 countries showed up in Brazil, a third from the private sector and consulting firms, and almost two-thirds from academia and universities.
The Conference took place in the halls and auditoriums of the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), a public university that was able to host 11 parallel sessions simultaneously, mornings and afternoons. The Conference title “Public opinion, civic spirit and global risks in Latin America” proposed an agenda that strongly resonated with the audience, most of whom are heavily focused on a plurality of topics of public opinion research, political-electoral behavior, and political communication in Latin America. Panels delved into discussions about political polarisation, threats to democracy and the rise of far right, populism, and autocratisation trends, misinformation and manipulation, survey experiments and comparative survey methodology assessments, polls performance, new ways of measuring voting intentions and studies about electoral behavior, new modes of political engagement, partisan identification and political sophistication, research on issues of climate change, immigration, gender issues, public health, and trust in institutions.
For seven out of ten participants this was their first WAPOR LATAM conference, an auspicious indicator of renewal and expansion of our community’s reach to new members. Equally as good news is that more than half of the participants are young researchers and professionals aged 30 or younger, laying the foundation for a vital association capable of staying in touch with old and new generations”.
Later this year, WAPOR Asia Pacific Regional Chapter will host its 8th Regional Conference, taking place from November 21 to 23, 2025, at Rikkyo University in Tokyo, in partnership with the Japanese Association for Public Opinion Research (JAPOR). The conference will bring together researchers from across the region and beyond to share work, exchange ideas, and discuss the evolving role of public opinion in diverse political and social contexts. While the initial call for papers has closed, belated submissions are still being accepted through the WAPOR submission portal. Further details on the program and registration will follow soon. We encourage all members to participate.
WAPOR’s Publications Committee continues its regular output of materials that connect members and showcase work across the community. Among these, the Spotlight Interview series remains a valuable window into the research and regional perspectives of WAPOR leaders and members. The latest interview, published in May, features Munqith Dagher, President of the WAPOR West Asia and North Africa (WANA) chapter, reflecting on public opinion trends in the region, ongoing survey work in conflict zones, and the role of polling in understanding political transitions.
WAPOR’s ad-hoc Committee on the Global Report on Important Topics (GRIT), chaired by Vice-President Colin Irwin, recently met to launch this year’s work. Over the coming year, the committee will focus on the topic of migration, with the goal of presenting the findings at the WAPOR Annual Conference in Mexico City in 2026. This year’s project will be led by Pablo Paras, in close collaboration with GRIT Committee members, as well as research institutions and relevant UN offices in Mexico. To support this important effort, the committee invites all WAPOR members to contribute by sharing any survey questions they have used on the topic of migration. The focus is on questions designed for general national or state populations, particularly those that explore how migrants are received in a country and the main drivers of migration from a country. Please send your sample migration questions to colin.irwin@liverpool.ac.uk and pp@dataopm.net. These contributions will be used to create a short, standardized questionnaire that can be easily included in WAPOR members’ omnibus surveys. Your participation is key to the success of this project and to strengthening WAPOR’s ongoing collaboration with the United Nations.
Looking at the future events, to strengthen engagement across our global membership and give voice to members, including those who could not attend the annual conference, WAPOR is introducing an Annual Online Forum. This virtual, whole-membership meeting will serve as an open space to discuss the present and future of WAPOR — including organizational developments, emerging priorities, member-led ideas, and updates from across regions and committees. It is designed not only to inform, but to listen: members will be able to raise topics, suggest new activities, and help shape the association’s direction. This year’s forum will take place on September 24, 2025. We look forward to your participation in what we hope will become a valuable annual tradition (register here to attend).
Let me end this issue of the WAPOR newsletter with the update on membership statistics. WAPOR now counts more than 500 members in over 100 countries. This reach isn’t just a number — it reflects the diversity of perspectives, research traditions, and professional experiences that shape our work as a truly global community. Thank you for being part of it.
Let’s keep building, sharing, and learning together.
Best regards,
Christian W. Haerpfer
President, WAPOR