Key requirements for opinion polls

1. Be open and truthful when asking people to take part in research. Make sure that surveys are clearly distinguished from non-research activities such as political campaigning (4.1).

2. Make sure interviewers identify themselves properly, allow respondents to verify that they are acting in good faith, explain the purpose of the research, and allow respondents to exercise their right to withdraw. Interviewers should also explain that respondents’ personal data is not disclosed to anyone else without their consent, and that they may ask for incorrect personal data held about them to be deleted or corrected (4.3).

3. Take steps to ensure that respondents are in no way harmed as a result of taking part in an opinion poll or a research project, and that any personal information that could identify a participant is kept secure against unauthorised access, manipulation or disclosure (4.2 & 4.3).

4. Make sure that any information collected in a research project is never used for any other purpose without the participant’s consent (4.3).

5. Use appropriate methods and be transparent about the methodology, including information on the sample, weighting, question wording and the timing of the poll or published survey, so as to support public confidence in its accuracy and reliability (5.1).

6. Decision-makers, journalists and the public must be able to distinguish between professional and unprofessional opinion polls. Researchers and those who publish survey data must provide enough information for the public and other stakeholders to evaluate the results (5.2).

7. Any published report of results should contain at least the name of the research company and of the sponsor, the sampling frame, the sample size, the data collection method and the fieldwork period. Where publication space is limited, the other relevant information set out in the guideline should be made available online. Any publication should also say how further detail can be obtained, and that information should be available within 24 hours of publication (5.1 and 5.2).

8. Do not publish claims that go beyond the limits of the scientific principles on which the poll rests, and make sure that interpretations and statements are fully consistent with the data (5.1).

9. Before carrying out a study, inform clients that the research organisation is bound by the ICC/ESOMAR Code and that any publication of the findings by the client must comply with this guideline. Tell clients that if they publish results they should consult the researcher on the form and content of the findings; if their report misrepresents the findings, the researcher must not allow their name to be associated with the dissemination of conclusions that are not adequately supported by the data, and should reserve the right to publish the study in full.

10. Exit polls: pay particular attention to respondent confidentiality, since the survey is conducted in a public place; use transparent, public and well-documented methods and observe the accepted procedural and technical standards. Publish the results as soon as practicable after the polls close, together with the required information (8.2).

11. Respect the law applicable in the country where the research is carried out, and follow the industry’s norms and standards (1).

The numbers in brackets refer to the relevant sections of the ESOMAR/WAPOR Guideline on Opinion Polls and Published Surveys, available at www.esomar.org or www.wapor.org.