November 2025: Spotlight interview with Linda Luz Guerrero and Jibum Kim
From November 21-23, 2025, WAPOR Asia Pacific (WAP) will host its eighth annual conference in Tokyo, Japan. We interviewed current President Linda Luz Guerrero and Immediate Past President Jibum Kim on the chapter’s history and expectations toward the upcoming conference.
How long (approximately) have you been a WAPOR Asia Pacific member? What kinds of changes or experiences have you had with WAP over the years?
Jibum: I was honored to be part of the beginning of WAPOR ASIA — now WAPOR Asia-Pacific (WAP). Thanks to the dedication and efforts of Robert, the first president of WAP, and Winnie, long-time general secretary, as well as Syed, Ijaz, Said, Yashwant and Linda, the launch of WAP became possible. In 2017, Robert, Ijaz, Said, Yashwant and I met Claire Durand, then WAPOR President, at the WAPOR conference in Lisbon, Portugal. Soon after, on July 18, WAPOR Asia was officially established. At that time, only 13 members from seven countries had joined WAPOR ASIA. The following year, in May 2018, 31 participants from eight countries attended our first WAPOR Asia conference.
Although it is still a relatively young organization, WAP has continued to grow in membership, the number of participating countries, and the depth and richness of its programs. It has provided a meaningful platform to deepen our understanding of Asian societies and public opinion. Personally, being part of this journey has further inspired my interest and passion for survey research.
Linda: WAPOR Asia Pacific is the second oldest regional chapter of WAPOR. It was first established as WAPOR ASIA and then renamed as WAPOR Asia Pacific on January 1, 2022, following a membership referendum.
One of the reasons WAP was established is because of a practical reason. Researchers in Asia do not have to travel long distances to North America or Europe, for example, to attend an international conference on opinion research.
I became a member from its inception. Except for New Delhi, I have been able to participate in all the conferences.
WAP’s inaugural conference was held in Taipei in May 2018, hosted by the Taiwan Institute for Governance and Communications Research (TIGCR) and the Election Studies Center.
Next up was New Delhi in September 2019, which was hosted by the Centre for Voting, Opinion and Trends in Election Research (CVoter) under the theme Digital Democracy: The Scope and Limitations of Digital Advancement in Democratization in Asia.
The third conference, in November 2020, was held virtually by our Malaysian colleagues with the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).
The fourth one, another year later, was hosted also virtually by our Thai colleagues with the King Prajadhipok’s Institute under the theme The New Normal in Survey Research Methodology and Changing Attitudes.
The fifth conference was held in Dubai in November 2022, using a hybrid format and jointly organized with WAPOR’s 75th annual conference.
The sixth meeting was organized by our Australian colleagues affiliated with the Centre for Social Research and Methods with the Australian National University in Canberra in December 2023. The conference theme was Public Opinion Research and the Social, Political, Security, Technology Challenges facing the Asia and Pacific Region.
The seventh conference was jointly held with WAPOR’s 77th annual conference in July 2024 in Seoul, Republic of Korea. It was hosted by the Survey Research Center at Sungkyunkwan University and co-organized with esteemed partners including the National Research Council for Economics, Humanities and Social Sciences; the Korean Sociological Association; the Korean Association of Party Studies; the Korean Association for Survey Research; Korea Social Science Data Archive (KOSSDA), the Institute of Social Development and Policy Research at Seoul National University and PMI. That year’s conference theme was The Soul of Public Opinion Research: Liberty, Quality and Humanity.
That’s an impressive track record. Congratulations! Now you are approaching your eighth conference!
Linda: Indeed! Now we are on our eighth conference. This time it will be hosted and co-organized by the Japanese Association for Public Opinion Research (JAPOR) and Rikkyo University Center for Statistics and Information, with Mr. Tokuhisa Suzuki (President of JAPOR, Japan) serving as the Local Conference Chair and Prof. Seokho Kim (Seoul National University, Korea) as the 2025 WAPOR Asia Pacific Conference Chair.
The conference will commence with a joint session between JAPOR and the WAPOR Asia Pacific Chapter on the first day, conducted in Japanese with English interpretation provided. The second and third days will feature the WAPOR Asia Pacific Chapter Conference, conducted entirely in English. The conference is aptly themed as Let’s Discuss Opinion Polls: Learning from Diversity.
As in other conferences we have had at WAP, I am sure that we will engage in meaningful and productive discussions, share fun stories, build professional connections, discover new perspectives, and learn from each other as we create space for new voices and ideas which we aim to inspire action. Our collective commitment will continue to allow us to understand the challenges and rewards of our research work.
If one goes through the program of the conference, one will note a wide array of topics covered. Hopefully, we will be able to upload the papers to the WAP website. There will be an opportunity to contact authors and perhaps to collaborate on topics that will dive deeper into the challenges of survey research and subsequently inform discussions and create synergies to better advance a more robust analysis. Who knows whether this move too will boost membership and bring together research partners.
I feel WAP is not lacking in Asian colleagues who are interested in continuing to provide a venue for interacting with scholars from around the world and learning from each other about research that makes quality of life and governance better and more meaningful.
As part of the conferences, WAP confers Lifetime Achievement Awards. In 2024, the award was given to Prof. Hyunho Seok of Sungkyunkwan University. Before, awards have been bestowed upon Mahar Mangahas (Philippines), Ijaz Gilani (Pakistan), Takashi Inoguchi (Japan), Syed Arabi Idid (Malaysia), Robert Chung (Hong Kong) and Colin Irwin (United Kingdom). They all now form part of the Advisory Board of WAP.
In your view, what distinguishes the WAPOR Asia-Pacific chapter from WAPOR as a whole or from other regional chapters?
Jibum: I definitely meet more professionals and researchers from Asia, and I have more opportunities to learn about survey research and public opinion in different Asian countries.
Linda: Except perhaps for some unique cultural differences, I don’t think the regional chapters differ much from each other’s avowed goals. WAP aims to promote the right to develop, conduct and publish scientific research on the attitudes and opinions of citizens and different sectors, and how this thinking is influenced by various factors, in each country or region, particularly in Asia and the Pacific. WAP promotes knowledge and the application of scientific methods and techniques. It encourages the publication of public opinion research on Asia worldwide and fosters international cooperation and exchange among and between public opinion researchers, journalists, political actors, and colleagues in different scientific disciplines. It can organize meetings, sponsor events, and engage in discussions critical to the advancement of high professional standards and improved research techniques. It observes democratic processes and the use of polls in elections, thereby informing journalists, other reporters and political actors about the appropriate and ethical forms of publishing results.
Looking ahead – and beyond the upcoming conference – what do you hope WAP will achieve, and what practical steps do you expect it to take?
Jibum: The founding members are getting old, and I believe WAP should provide more training opportunities and support for young researchers who can carry the organization forward.
Linda: WAP, I think, continues to have birthing pains. For one it needs to have an operational secretariat and a functional website. We have to organize ourselves more so that our archives can serve its members better.
Thank you both very much for your time, Linda and Jibum! This was very insightful. You must have your hands full with organizing the conference. Let’s catch up after the conference –– with your impressions and input from the local organizing committee in Japan.
TO BE CONTINUED…
