Public Opinion Research in a Technology-Driven World

19 – 22 September 2023 | Paris Lodron University Salzburg | UNIPARK Nonntal | Erzabt-Klotz-Straße 1 | 5020 Salzburg | Austria |  PROGRAMME

The World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR) is hosting its 76th annual conference this year at the Paris Lodron University in Salzburg. Around 300 guests from around the world are expected to attend.

The conference

Challenges, opportunities and risks of opinion research in times of rapid digitalisation

Although internet access is far from sufficient in many low-income countries of the world, the internet, digitalisation and social media have changed the political, economic and social sphere of society significantly. For opinion research, too, the digital traces left behind online offer a large pool of data for researching public opinion. However, there are also dangers such as bots, fake news and AI, especially in relation to the increasingly noticeable crisis phenomena today.

Over four days, the following questions will be discussed in three keynotes and numerous exciting sessions:

• What important findings can current opinion research and classical methodology (based on surveys) provide on the rapid acceleration of new technologies?
• What methods and approaches are needed to make scientifically sound conclusions on public opinion?
• What are the latest trends in opinion research to identify misinformation and fake news?
• What opportunities and risks do new (online) sampling methods and artificial intelligence pose for opinion research in general and for election forecasts in particular?

Co-organiser of the conference is the  Department of Sociology and Social Geography at the PLUS.

The 76th WAPOR  Annual Conference is organised by Local Conference Chair Wolfgang Aschauer with his student assistants Sofije Avdiu and Ann-Sophie Probst.

All information about the conference can be found  HERE.

WAPOR is the leading global organisation for public opinion research. With over 75 years of experience, WAPOR is committed to the highest professional standards, ethics and techniques in opinion polling worldwide. Instruments such as the World Value Survey are examples of how WAPOR has contributed to the global networking and collaboration of worldwide survey researchers over the past decades. Through annual conferences, seminars, webinars, relevant publications and educational initiatives, a global dialogue on best practices in data collection and data quality maintenance is conducted not only in economically prosperous countries but also in emerging economies and the Global South.

Find out more about WAPOR on this  WEBSITE.