WAPOR 72nd Annual Conference
19-21 May 2019 ● Toronto, Canada

Reviews of submissions are currently taking place.
We hope to have decisions out to everyone by mid-January.

The World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR) will hold its 72nd Annual Conference 19-21 May 2019 in Toronto, Canada. The WAPOR conference will convene immediately after and overlap with the last day of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) conference. The conference committee is reviewing proposals on topics related to public opinion broadly, especially those related to the conference theme.

Conference Theme: Public Opinion and Democracy

It has been over 800 years since the Magna Carta, and international survey research shows that liberal democratic values of respect for the will of the people, human rights, impartial justice and the rule of law have become widely adopted by citizens across the world. Given how central democratic principles are to the field of survey research, and how central a role public opinion polling plays in the practice of democracy, it is clearly time for social researchers to examine the relationship between public opinion and democracy in some detail.

Do we witness a decline in political and institutional trust and in the perceived legitimacy of democracy? Does the polling profession need to renew its own levels of trust and legitimacy with the public? How should public opinion research operate in order to better serve society and democracy? What is the role of stakeholder/expert research? How do the answers to these questions vary between established and emerging democracies?

WAPOR will offer one of five conference formats including: panels, round-table sessions, research papers (in oral or poster format) and case studies. The round tables will be presented in the new “Innovation Room” at our Toronto Conference.

Topics include:

• Public opinion and democracy
• New sources of information on public opinion and the use of social media to voice public opinion
• News, media, journalism and public opinion
• Political behavior, participation and culture
• Electoral polls in emerging/incomplete democracies
• Methodological challenges and improvements, including in the areas of sampling, measurement, survey design and survey response or non-response
• Challenges of comparative research and International Survey Projects, cross-cultural concerns in data collection and measurement issues
• Social media, big data, sentiment analysis, and emerging technologies
• Best practice in stakeholder research and expert surveys

A special Tocqueville award will be presented for the best paper referring to Tocqueville’s famous text “On Democracy in America”. See here for more information on the award.

Queries about the Conference

Questions about the conference should be directed to WAPOR Executive Coordinator Renae Reis (renae@wapor.org).

About the Conference Site

The WAPOR conference will convene at the Chelsea Hotel, Toronto, located in the heart of downtown Toronto, ideally situated for shopping, nightlife, and dining. The Chelsea is an easy 10-minute walk from the AAPOR conference hotel. It also allows for easy access to local tourist attractions and activities. WAPOR registrants can take advantage of sleeping room rates of 185 CAD (single or double), 215 CAD (triple), and 245 CAD (quad), plus applicable taxes. Rooms will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. We will announce the link for reservations when it is available.

Toronto is an exciting and dynamic city, where unique and eclectic events and activities happen around every corner. Toronto, capital of the province of Ontario, is the gateway to a vast region that includes world-famous Niagara Falls, the pristine lakes and forests of Muskoka and the Kawarthas, and the nation’s capital region. More information about the city, can be found at https://www.seetorontonow.com/.

Registration Information

*Non-member rates include membership to WAPOR for 2019. If you are from a Tier B or C country,
we recommend becoming a WAPOR member before registering for the conference. This will reduce
your overall cost. The student first-time attendees will receive their 2019 membership free of charge.