Public Policy Update - January 2007
Stepping up initiatives to deal with spam and data privacy
6. European Commission wants observatory for public opinion research
ESOMAR co-organised a session on raising the quality of polls during a stakeholder conference on public opinion research held by the European Commission in Madrid in October. At the opening of the event, which was attended by over 200 legislators, journalists and opinion pollsters, Commission Vice-President Margot Wallström underlined the need for more public opinion research.
During the conference, Wallström repeated a suggestion already made in a White Paper on Communications, to set up an independent Observatory of European Public Opinion to improve media coverage, the design of the EU's Eurobarometer polls and to provide better analysis of the results.
During the session on improving the quality of research, chaired by Adam Phillips who chairs ESOMAR’s Professional Standards Committee, participants voiced their support for an ESOMAR initiative to strengthen self regulation on a national level as a means of driving out unprofessional or irresponsible polls. For instance last year ANEIMO, the market research trade association in Spain, came to an agreement with the advertising self regulatory body, that the advertising complaints committee will handle any complaints made against ANEIMO members and other agencies whose activity is regulated by the ICC/ESOMAR International Code.
Next steps
The Commission is inviting a number of experts including Adam Phillips to discuss how to pursue the idea of an observatory, before deciding how to proceed. ESOMAR is encouraging national associations to adopt stronger national self regulation procedures through a project entitled Responsible Research Regulation.
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