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Respondent Bill of Rights
Your participation in legitimate survey research 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:
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Your privacy and the confidentiality of your answers will be
respected and maintained.
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Your name, address, personal information, answers, or
responses will never be disclosed to anyone outside the research
industry without your permission.
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You will always be told the name of the person contacting you,
the research company's name and the nature of the survey.
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You will not be sold anything, or asked for money, under the
guise of research.
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You will be contacted at reasonable times, but if the time is
inconvenient, you may ask to be re-contacted at a more convenient
time.
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Your decision to participate in a study, answer specific questions,
or discontinue your participation will be respected without question.
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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.
Our 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, researchers 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 in a survey except, perhaps, a
data collection supervisor to validate that you did in fact participate.
Our 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 are
tasked to 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
participate 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.
Selling, in any form, is different than survey research. The purpose of
a sales call, email, fax, or mail solicitation is to encourage the purchase
of goods or services. Conversely, 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 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.
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