What Your Rights Are if You Are Interviewed:
Your participation in a legitimate research survey 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:
- Your privacy and the privacy of your answers will be respected and maintained.
- Your name, address, phone number, personal information, or individual responses won’t be disclosed to anyone outside the research industry without your permission.
- You will always be told the name of the person contacting you, the research company’s name and the nature of the survey.
- You will not be sold anything, or asked for money, under the guise of research.
- 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.
- Your decision to participate in a study, answer specific questions, or discontinue your participation will be respected without question.
- You will be informed in advance if an interview is to be recorded and of the intended use of the recording.
- 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 the Public:
People like you are the lifeblood of the research industry. Researchers are truly concerned about maintaining goodwill with the public. Our priority includes maintaining respondent confidentiality, accurately reporting your opinions, and respecting your privacy, your time, and your right to decline.
Researchers’ 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, they 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 except perhaps to validate that you did in fact participate.
Researchers’ Commitment to Accurately Reporting Your Opinions:
Most research companies are members of one or more professional associations established for the research industry. These associations have developed Codes of Ethics, Standards and Best Practices to insure that the data collected are accurate and representative.
Very specific scientific procedures and processes are used to collect the highest quality data with the least amount of intrusion on the respondent. Researcher’s clients also depend on accurate data to make the best possible decisions on the products, services and policies that affect you.
Researchers’ 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 should 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.