October 2017

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend the 36^th annual meeting of the Southern Association for Public Opinion Research (SAPOR). Having been a loyal MAPOR member for most of my career, I have to confess that I have seldom stepped out to participate in the activities of other AAPOR chapters (with the exception of one visit to DCAAPOR as part of one of their annual sessions to highlight the contents of a POQ special issue a few years back).

Greetings AAPOR. Here in New England, the season is changing and fall colors are starting to appear everywhere. As I reflect on the time of year (fall is by far my most favorite season) it reminds me that change can be welcomed and good. And so it is with our annual conference. For AAPOR 2018 we’ve made a few changes too that I hope will be as welcome as the crisp fall breezes and bright radiant colors that remind us that it isn’t summer anymore. One of the most notable changes is that the conference will take place between WEDNESDAY through SATURDAY. Some of the substantive changes I’m most excited about include:

AAPOR members have the talent to tackle some of the toughest issues in survey research!

 

What is AGT?  Taking inspiration from reality T.V. talent shows, teams (or individuals) will submit pitches for how to address an important survey research problem identified by the AAPOR community. Five abstracts will be selected to present their pitches to a panel of judges in an open session at the 2018 conference. The judges and audience will then vote to decide which team has the biggest talent. The winning team will receive a cash prize to carry out the research!

It’s time to renew your AAPOR membership for 2018! Please renew your membership today to continue receiving all the benefits you enjoy including: Professional Connections and Networking; Knowledge and Innovations; Professional Development; High Quality Peer Reviewed Journals; Ethics and Transparency; Real-time Communication with Members; and Affordable Membership Rates.

NYAPPOR’s mission is to inform and provide educational opportunities on evolving research methods and techniques to its membership and research community in general.   In addition, it is an excellent platform for our diverse research community to network and share learning. We had a great kickoff event this past month, and we are looking forward to an exciting program over the next year. 

The Pacific Chapter of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (PAPOR) has had a successful year so far and is planning its upcoming annual conference for December 14-15 at the Marines’ Memorial Club and Hotel in San Francisco. PAPOR’s Conference Chair Mira Norton and Associate Chair Jessica Gollaher are organizing two short courses, five paper sessions, a poster session, and a plenary with dinner. Registration will be announced soon, and the call for participation is underway. Please send paper and poster submissions to Mira at [email protected], and visit our website www.papor.org for more info. We hope to see you there!

As part of the Transparency Initiative, organizations have agreed to train their employees with job responsibilities that include the methodology content of TI Research, press releases and any other forms of research data disclosure, have been properly trained in TI principles and procedures for compliance. 

​Patricia Moy is an accomplished scholar and a dedicated public servant in our profession. She is a committed leader who has spent considerable time furthering the field of public opinion and communication research. Anyone who knows Patricia well will say she is an inquisitive thinker and taskmaster who enjoys a good intellectual challenge, and whose professional commitments find her traveling often. It’s a good thing she can fall asleep easily on planes, one of her many superhuman skills.

The Roper Center will honor Howard Schuman at its 2017 Warren J Mitofsky Award Dinner, to be held on Thursday, November 9 in NYCat the Bryant Park Grill.  We are delighted to be celebrating Howard’s many contributions to the field of survey research. Those of you who have come to our annual event in the past know that it is a great evening of toasting our honoree — along with cocktails starting at 6:30, live music, and catching up with your colleagues. Please visit our website for tickets and information about sponsoring.