Letter from WAPOR President (March 2025)
Welcome to the first issue of the WAPOR newsletter in 2025!
This year brings both significant challenges and exciting opportunities for the public opinion research community. Growing political polarization, the spread of misinformation, and the rapid advancement of technologies are influencing how we gather and interpret public opinion data. These shifts call for critical reflection and methodological innovation. In this context, WAPOR’s role in promoting high-quality, ethical public opinion research is so important—and why your engagement matters more than ever.
WAPOR begins the year with a notable leadership development. I am pleased to welcome Professor Colin Irwin of the University of Liverpool (United Kingdom) as the WAPOR’s new Vice President. Colin assumed the role on January 1, 2025. I also would like to express sincere gratitude to Professor Robert Chung for his outstanding service as President of WAPOR in 2023-2024. We are all looking forward to his invaluable contributions in the position of Past President in the next 2 years. Other changes in the leadership team include Sunghee Lee (University of Michigan, USA) joining us as the Chair of Professional Standards Committee and Alice Siu (Stanford University, USA) assuming the position of the Chair of Education Committee. We warmly welcome the new colleagues and look forward to advancing WAPOR further together!
Looking ahead, WAPOR’s flagship event—the 78th Annual Conference—will be held on May 12–15, 2025, in St. Louis, Missouri. This year’s theme, “The Evolving Landscape of Election Polls: Challenges, Biases, and Innovations in a Polarized World,” is especially timely. The program will explore key topics such as the role of opinion research in unstable contexts, innovations in data collection, risks of bias, and the implications of emerging technologies. Early bird registration closes on March 31, so we encourage you to register soon.
If presenting, consider nominating your paper for one of our annual conference awards (nominations due by March 31). This year’s WAPOR conference will be held in conjunction with the 80th annual conference of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), offering a rare opportunity for members of both communities to connect, collaborate, and exchange insights in one space. Both conferences will be hosted at the historic St. Louis Union Station hotel.
Our Regional Chapters are also off to a strong start in 2025. The XI WAPOR Latin America Congress will take place April 28–30 in Florianópolis, Brazil, hosted by the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC). You can learn more about this event in our latest WAPOR Spotlight Interview.
Themed “Opinión pública, civismo y riesgos globales en América Latina” (Public Opinion, Civism, and Global Risks in Latin America), the congress will bring together researchers, practitioners, and consultants from across the region and beyond. We encourage participation from all interested colleagues.
Meanwhile, the Call for Papers for the Eighth Annual WAPOR Asia Pacific Conference is now open, with submissions due by April 21.
The conference will be held November 21–23, 2025 and is hosted by the Japanese Association for Public Opinion Research (JAPOR) and the Rikkyo University Center for Statistics and Information. Mr. Tokuhisa Suzuki (President of JAPOR) will serve as Local Conference Chair, and Prof. Seokho Kim(Seoul National University) as Conference Chair. This year’s theme, “Let’s Discuss Opinion Polls: Learning from Diversity”, invites contributions from all regions and career stages.
In addition to our conferences, WAPOR’s monthly webinar series continues to offer engaging discussions, international perspectives, and timely research presentations. These sessions are free to members and provide an excellent opportunity to stay informed and connected between major events. This spring’s webinars cover topics such as AI and public opinion, technologies for improving survey data quality, and biases in LLM-based predictions of voting behavior. Details on upcoming webinars are available on our website.
Earlier this month, the WAPOR Council released our fourth Annual Report. The 2024 report outlines key activities, organizational developments, and statistical highlights from the past year, including updates on membership trends, conference outcomes, committee work, regional chapters, and financial performance. I invite all members to review the report and share any feedback with the Secretariat.
Thank you for your continued commitment to WAPOR. I encourage you to follow our activities, participate in upcoming events and webinars, and stay actively engaged with the WAPOR network throughout the year. I also warmly welcome new ideas and initiatives from our members — if there’s something you’d like to propose or explore, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly. I look forward to an inspiring and collaborative year ahead!
Sincerely,
Christian Haerpfer
WAPOR President