Carta de la Presidente de WAPOR (Septiembre 2019)

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Dear WAPOR members,

In my last letter I mentioned that we were planning to organize a series of webinars and conferences. That is why I am glad to announce that on September 19 at 2:30 pm (EST) our first Webinar will be held. Registration is now open and you are all invited to participate. On this occasion, Dr. Zeina Mneimneh and Julie de Jong from the University of Michigan will present. This presentation will consist of two modules provided by the International Unit of the Survey Research Center of the University of Michigan. The first module will refer to the key stages of the survey life cycle and the challenges facing international surveys. The second will be linked to the guidelines used for Intercultural surveys, developed to promote internationally recognized best practices for the design and implementation of multinational, multicultural and multiregional surveys, covering all stages of the survey life cycle. This Webinar will be free and to register you can register from this link:https://wapor.org/wapor-offering-first-webinar/

Education is a key element in achieving our goal of making WAPOR recognized as the organization that sets the standards for public opinion research in the world. This is why we continue working on this aspect and are committed to a series of educational activities and training. More webinars are already being planned, and our Education Committee, led by Michael Traugott, is exploring different formats – such as video interviews with prominent speakers. We also intend to conduct a webinar aimed at journalists and all members who are interested in the topic of public opinion and the coverage of surveys.

We have also received – through the member survey – your comments and suggestions for future training courses and webinars, and we will continue planning them taking into account your proposals. We hope that this new variety of programs and formats respond to your needs and expectations. Thank you very much for your contribution and please continue to comment on your opinions and on what topics you would be interested to learn more!

In line with our goal of setting the standards for our profession, Janet Streicher – our President of the Professional Standards Committee – will lead the creation of a special Code of Ethics Committee, with the purpose of revitalizing the WAPOR Code of Ethics. Members of this committee have already begun their review, identifying issues that are not covered today or that need to be adjusted in light of the changing demands, methodologies and challenges of public opinion research and surveys.

On the other hand, we would like to remind you that the Second Annual Conference of WAPOR-ASIA will take place soon in New Delhi, India, from September 26 to 29, 2019. We believe that this event will strengthen the WAPOR-ASIA Chapter, as it aims to bring together survey specialists and professionals to share their research, experiences and practices. This year’s theme of the conference is «Digital Democracy: The scope and limitations of the digital advance on democratization in Asia.» This conference will give participants the opportunity to address the new challenges for public opinion polls in the region. For more information on the next WAPOR-ASIA Conference you can visit: https://www.waporasia.org/2019-call

I want to advise Spanish-speaking members not to miss the latest issue of the Latin American Journal of Political Opinion (RLOP), volume 8, number 1, 2019, which is now available. I highly recommend it for its excellent content. http://www.waporlatinoamerica.org/uploads/3/7/6/6/37666309/rlop-wapor-v8-1_vf.pdf

As for WAPOR’s digital communication strategy, we are planning to renew and update our website to increase our presence and influence in the digital world. In addition, we continue working to inform about our activities in a more dynamic and constant way in social networks. To keep up to date with all our activities and start conversations with this talented world community, we invite you once again to follow WAPOR on Facebook, Twitter and now LinkedIn.

I want to tell you that we will soon announce the details of the 73rd edition of the annual WAPOR Conference in Salamanca, Spain. The highlight of next year’s annual conference is that we will hold it together with WAPOR LATAM, so it will be an exceptional opportunity to further strengthen relations with this important Chapter. The details of this Conference are in the planning process and we will have more information to share about them in the coming months. The Conference will take place in early October 2020 and we are planning to organize some activities together, stay alert to our news!

As you know, strengthening relationships within and outside the WAPOR network is essential for our organization, and this is something we continue to dedicate our efforts to. In early June, together with Vice President Timothy Johnson, we have contacted National Representatives to ask for their opinions on important issues and issues within their country that they believe should be addressed during the 2020 International Conference. We greatly appreciate the responses that We have received, as we believe that your advice and recommendations are essential to reach our full potential.

As for relationships outside our network, I will attend the ESOMAR Congress in Edinburgh, participating in the meeting planned by the Sounding Board Associations, to facilitate collaboration with other associations representing the data, research and insights sector. We hope this participation will further help our efforts to strengthen ties with other organizations!

From WAPOR we want to thank you for joining us on this challenging and rewarding path.

Best regards,

Marita Carballo
Presidente de WAPOR