Respondent Bill of Rights Your participation in a legitimate research survey is very important to us, and we value the information you provide. Therefore, our relationship will be one of respect and consideration, based on the following practices: Your privacy and the confidentiality of your answers will be respected and maintained. Your name, address, personal information, answers, or responses won't be disclosed to anyone outside the research industry without your permission. You will always be told the name of the person contacting you, the research company's name and the nature of the survey. You will not be sold anything, or asked for money, under the guise of research. You will be contacted at reasonable times, but if the time is inconvenient, you may ask to be recontacted at a more convenient time. Your decision to pariticpate in a study, answer specific questions, or discontinue your participation will be respected without question. You are assured that the highest standards of professional conduct will be upheld in the collection and reporting of information you provide. Survey research is an important part of our democratic society, allowing people to express their views on political and social issues, as well as on products and services. Researchers' Commitment to Maintaining Respondent Confidentiality Information obtained through research is provided to clients without being individually identifiable. Researchers will never divulge your identity or individual answers unless you specifically give the researcher permission to do so. Also, they will never sell or give your name or phone number to anyone else. No one will ever contact you as a result of your participation except perhaps to validate that you did in fact participate. Researchers' Commitment to Privacy The goal of the research industry is to strike a balance between the need for information to improve people's lives and protecting the privacy of the people who participate in such research. Hence, interviewers will always identify themselves and state the reason for their call at the beginning of each survey. Research interviewers should be courteous and respect your time by calling back at a more convenient time if necessary. They will answer your questions as completely as possible and politely honor your decision not to pariticpate in a particular research study if you so choose. Differences Between Research and Sales While both the research industry and sales-related industries use the same mediums to conduct their business (i.e. telephone, mail, internet, email), there are some important differences.      Sales-related industries want to sell you something      A survey researcher simply wants to ask your opinion Selling, in any form, is different than survey research. Whether conducted by telephone/mail/Internet, sales-related activities are not survey research. The purpose of a sales call, email, fax or mail solicitation is to encourage purchase of goods or services. Conversly, the purpose of research (in any form - telephone, mail, in-person interview, door-to-door, mall, focus group, or Internet) is to gather information and opinions from members of the public to measure public opinions of products and services or social and political issues. Occasionally, survey research companies will offer a gift to the respondent in appreciation of his or her cooperation. Such a gift could be a cash donation to a charity, a product sample, or a nominal monetary award. Your Opinion Counts Companies and institutions want to know how you view their products and services. Some want feedback on critical social issues so they can better meet your needs. By answering survey questions, you make your opinions known to the people who have the power to make the changes you want. Your answers to survey research questions influence many decisions that affect you as a consumer and a citizen.