Dictionary of Polling: The Language of Contemporary Opinion Research

WAKSBURG TECHNIQUESeeRANDOM DIGIT DIALING (RDD).

WAPOR The World Association of Public Opinion Research. WAPOR was established in 1947 in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Linking university scholars with commercial researchers was a major reason for forming this international group. That objective is expressed clearly in the WAPOR Code of Professional Ethics and Practices:

The purpose of the World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR) is to establish a world wide meeting ground for those working in the area of survey research. Through its activities, WAPOR unites the world of survey research within the universities and the world of survey research within private institutes--two worlds which far too often are still strictly separated. It is the express goal of WAPOR to bridge the gap existing between practitioners . . . and theoreticians of the academe. ( Worcester, 1983:229)

WAPOR is governed by an executive council elected by the membership in an international mail ballot. The two-year presidency generally alternates between Europe and North America. The last five presidents ( 1978-1988) have come from West Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Sweden. WAPOR's annual conference rotates between Europe and North America. In even years, the meeting is held with the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) in Canada or the United States; in odd years WAPOR meets jointly with the European Society for Opinion and Market Research (ESOMAR) in Europe.

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