Enforcing the AAPOR Code

Enforcing the AAPOR Code of Professional Ethics and Practices

As AAPOR works proactively to encourage and make it easier for survey researchers to disclose essential methodology, the association continues to enforce its Code of Professional Ethics and Practices against those who don't.

In September, AAPOR’s Executive Council publicly cited a Georgia-based company for refusing to release essential facts about polls it published prior to the 2008 presidential primaries in New Hampshire and Wisconsin. Council found the nondisclosure by Strategic Vision LLC was inconsistent with the association's Code of Professional Ethics and Practices and contrary to basic principles of scientific research. See the full AAPOR statement on the Strategic Vision LLC case.

The action was the second public AAPOR rebuke for Code violations this year. In February, AAPOR cited Johns Hopkins University researcher Gilbert Burnham for failing to disclose basic methodology about a survey underlying published research on civilian deaths in the war in Iraq. See AAPOR’s statement on the Burnham case.