Skip to Content
British Polling Council

Objects And Rules

Including Membership Agreement

A) Objects

The British Polling Council (BPC) has been formed to:-

B) In These Objects And Rules The Following Terms Shall Have The Meaning Set Out Herein:-

Public opinion pollsters (or organisations). Researchers and research organisations engaged in surveying the opinions and attitudes of the general public, voters and other groups such as businessmen where the aim is to publish findings or where such findings may otherwise enter the public domain.

Sampling methods (and procedures). The techniques used to define target respondents for any survey from a given population (adults, voters, businesspeople).

Data. Percentage answers obtained from any public opinion poll, the weighted figures and the weighted base used to derive those percentages, the unweighted base.

Unweighted data. The data that has been obtained from respondents, without any post survey weighting.

Weighting procedures. The instructions given to a computer used to balance a sample that has been obtained. This procedure ascribes weights to respondents in order that their number within the weighted base more closely matches the known profile of the population being surveyed. This procedure produces the weighted data.

Computer tables. Data tables produced directly from a computer that has been programmed to accept the unweighted data and apply the weighting procedures described by the public opinion polling company.

Samples and sub samples. The sample is the total of all those surveyed. A sub sample may consist of a group within that total such as all women or men etc.

Response codes. The possible answers given to respondents as part of a question or allowed as possible answers in questions where the possible answers are not read out.

Member of BPC. A public opinion polling organisation that has signed the Objects and Rules of the BPC and has paid the fees of membership.

C) Rules

1. Membership

1.1 Founder member companies have all had access to the form of disclosure each proposes to use after BPC has begun operations and agreed that the requirements of disclosure have been met. After the launch of BPC on November 1st 2004 the following rules of membership will apply to founding members and any other organisation that may apply thereafter.

1.2. Membership of the BPC is open to all organisations that aim to use sampling methods and/or weighting procedures designed to broadly represent the opinions of all people in designated groups. Membership of the BPC does not in any way imply approval by the BPC of any organisation's methods, and members agree not to make any such claim or otherwise imply the same.

1.3. Any public opinion polling company wishing to become a member of the BPC shall provide the Secretary with evidence that the procedures most usually used are likely to satisfy 1.2 above and provide an example of the information the organisation proposes to produce to satisfy the rules of disclosure. An applicant may submit a draft or final version of the information they intend to provide under the rules of disclosure. The Secretary will advise the applicant whether, in his/her view the disclosure of information will meet the requirements.

1.4. Whether or not the applicant has, in the view of the Secretary, satisfied the rules of disclosure the applicant will have the right to submit a suggested form of disclosure and membership will be granted by a simple majority vote of the Management Committee.

1.5. If the view of the Management Committee is that the methods used by the organisation do not satisfy 1.2. above and/or the example disclosure does not satisfy the rules of disclosure the applicant may call a full meeting of members and officers to consider the application, the decision on whether to allow the company to join BPC being made by a simple majority of those present to consider the application.

1.6. All applicants must submit a signed application form that shall bind the organisation to the Objects and Rules herein.

1.7. Upon receiving acceptance as a member of BPC, and having paid the membership fee, the organisation should ask all clients publishing polls to include the following; that the organisation …

"is a member of the BPC and abides by its rules".

1.8. Each organisation wishing to join the BPC will assign itself to one of the following three tiers of joining fee on the basis of its volume of business and the amount of its work that ends up in the public domain. An informal "honour system" shall guide this determination. For "large" organisations, the joining fee will be £750; for "medium" sized organisations, the joining fee will be £500, and for "small" organisations the joining fee will be £250.

1.9. Thereafter the "honour system" shall guide the determination of annual fees payable on the 1st January each year. For "large" organisations, the annual fee will be £200; for "medium" sized organisations, the annual dues are £150, and for "small" organisations the annual dues are £100.

1.10. If a member fails to pay a subscription according to 1.7 and 1.8 above then the Management Committee may at its sole discretion and by giving written notice to the member concerned declare that the Member is no longer a member of BPC.

1.11. The organisation that has failed to pay its subscription will have no entitlement to have repaid any part of the subscriptions the organisation has paid, will not be entitled to report that it is a member of the BPC and/or that it abides by its rules and will remain liable for that organisation's share of any money owed by the BPC in the calendar year in which it was a member.

1.12. Any member organisation may not resign its membership of the BPC while under investigation for any breach of the rules of disclosure. If such investigation spans the end of the financial year (calendar year) the BPC will not declare the organisation not to be a member, even if the annual subscription is not paid, until the investigation is complete

2. What Must Be Disclosed By Members

2.1. All data and research findings made on the basis of surveys conducted by member organisations that enter the public domain, must include reference to the following:

2.2. Whenever it is practical to do so the following information should also be published

2.3. Public opinion polling organisations reporting results will endeavour to have print and broadcast media include the above items in their news stories and will in any event make a report containing these items together with full computer tables of the results available on their web site within 2 working days of the original release.

2.4. In addition to the information outlined above, the public opinion polling organisation responsible for conducting the survey that has entered the public domain will place the following information on its own web site within 2 working days of the data being published.

2.5. The public opinion organisation will provide any other information that may be required by a sub committee on disclosure that the sub committee feels may be required during the course of any investigation

2.6. Organisations conducting privately commissioned surveys have the right to maintain the confidentiality of survey findings. However, in the event the results of a privately commissioned poll are made public by the organisation [its employees or agents] that commissioned the survey, such results will be deemed to have entered the public domain and procedures outlined above will be followed in respect of those findings. The client and survey organisation may keep other findings (that have not been published) confidential except where such findings are relevant to the topics covered in questions that have entered the public domain or where the question order is relevant to the published results. The research organisation must place other relevant data on its web site within 2 working days of the original release of the results into the public domain in order to place such information into their proper context. If other findings cast doubt on those that have been published then the agency must also release those findings

2.6.1. All polls commissioned by national or regional media organisations and any polls for other clients likely to receive wide publicity by BPC members must be published in full on the member's web site within 2 working days of the original release. Other polls, such as those conducted to support the PR activities of a commercial client need not be published within 2 working days. Nevertheless, reasonable requests by any enquirer to publish the data will be accepted and publication should then take place within 2 working days and such data must also be made available to any enquirer on request as soon as is practical.

2.6.2. The rules of disclosure apply to all polls published in the UK by BPC members, irrespective of where they are conducted.

2.6.3. Information published on a BPC member's web site under this code must remain accessible for one year following publication. After that time the poll may be removed from the web-site but members will make the data available to any enquirer on request.

2.7. Any member of the BPC responsible for conducting a private survey that has entered the public domain will acknowledge having conducted the survey whether or not the company has been named by the client [its employees or agents] releasing data from it.

3. Officers

3.1. Members

3.1.1. Membership of the BPC is open to organisations that conduct published opinion polls using sampling methods and/or weighting procedures likely, in the view of the BPC, to provide an adequate distribution of the opinions of all people in designated groups (such as all adults, or all voters etc).

3.1.2. Members of the BPC understand and accept that the officers of the BPC have no liability to members in respect of anything done or omitted to be done in relation to the affairs of the BPC or for any judgement made under the rules of disclosure.

3.1.3. Member organisations are jointly and severally liable for any debts of the BPC howsoever they may arise.

3.2. Officers Of The Disclosure Sub Committee

3.2.1. Member organisations will be entitled to nominate one member of staff to be an Officer of the Disclosure Sub Committee. In addition the President of the BPC will ask journalists involved in commissioning and reporting polls and academics to join the BPC as officers of the Disclosure Sub Committee to investigate any complaints received. As officers, journalists and academics will serve in a personal capacity not as representatives of any organisation or institution.

3.3. Management Committee

3.3.1. The Management Committee will conduct the day-to-day running of the BPC. It will be made up of the President, the Secretary and one other officer elected by a vote of members at the AGM. The Management Committee will be entrusted by members …:

  1. To make such decisions as the Management Committee feels able on behalf of the BPC concerning applications for membership and the rules of disclosure.
  2. The Management Committee will call an EGM on such issues it feels need to be put to a vote of all officers.
  3. Commission papers and other written work to advance the understanding, among politicians, the media and general public, of how polls are conducted and how to interpret poll results.
  4. Provide interested parties with advice on best practice in the conduct and reporting of polls
  5. Comment on significant events in the field of opinion research.
  6. In so far as not otherwise provided in these rules or passed by a special resolution at an AGM or EGM, the affairs of the BPC will be controlled by the Management Committee.

3.3.2. Each officer and member of the Management Committee and Disclosure Sub Committee shall be entitled to indemnity and to be reimbursed from BPC funds in respect of any claim relating to acts, error or omissions performed, committed and/or made in good faith.

3.3.3. The Management Committee as at 1st October comprises …:

3.4. The President

3.4.1. The President will be appointed by a simple majority of the members cast annually at the AGM. The President will serve as chairman of the Management Committee.

3.4.2. The President will appoint nine officers to form the Committee on Disclosure and appoint three members to any investigation depending on the nature of the complaint and so as to avoid conflicts of interest.

3.5 Secretary

3.5.1. The Secretary will be appointed by a simple majority of the members cast annually at the AGM. The Secretary will serve on the Management Committee.

3.5.2. The Secretary will advise Organisations wishing to join the BPC on the benefits and responsibilities of membership of the BPC as outlined in 1.2 above.

3.5.3. The Secretary will receive all membership fees, keep such fees in a BPC bank account and pay all bills on behalf of the BPC.

3.5.4. The Secretary will keep accounts of the BPC for distribution at the AGM.

3.5.5. The Secretary will have such accounts audited by a recognised firm of auditors.

4. Handling Of Complaints

4.1. Members must provide relevant information regarding methods when questions are raised about survey results or how a survey has been conducted. The purpose of such disclosure is to ensure that adequate information is available, not to evaluate the specific techniques that were employed.

4.2. Accordingly, the procedures outlined below will be used when a question is raised or complaint received by the BPC that any member has not followed the principles of disclosure. Such procedures may be instigated following the receipt of a complaint from a member of the general public, a complaint made by a member of the BPC or by the Management Committee, President or Officer of the BPC.

4.3. These procedures are designed to ensure that all those who may read the results of a public opinion poll have adequate information upon which to evaluate the findings.

4.4. The President will assign three officers from the Committee on Disclosure to investigate any complaint, (the Investigating sub-committee). This Investigating sub-committee will normally comprise one representative from a survey organisation, one journalist and one academic. The President will also appoint a Chairman of the Investigating sub-committee and will be one of the three assigned to the sub-committee. The member organisation involved will be informed of the composition of the Investigating sub-committee and have the opportunity to object, provided they state clearly their reasons for any such objection. The President will, at his sole discretion, either reject the objection of the member under investigation or replace that member of the Investigating sub- committee with another officer.

4.5. This Investigating sub-committee will make available a copy of the complaint to the member organisation involved, including the identity of the individual or organisation bringing the complaint.

4.6. The Investigating sub-committee will consider the matter and determine whether or not the question is of sufficient significance or relevant to the principles of disclosure to warrant fuller disclosure of the methods employed.

4.7. If at least two of the three members of the Investigating sub-committee feel the question raised requires further investigation, the matter will be pursued as described below. Otherwise, the matter will be dropped.

4.8. The Investigating sub-committee will determine within one month which aspects of methodology shall be required to be disclosed, that are, in its judgement, necessary to allow a full evaluation of the research findings. The additional information will include, but not be limited to, the specific items outlined above.

4.9. Within two weeks of a decision by the Investigating sub-committee, the member organisation will be notified by the Chairman of the sub-committee about which methodological aspects the Investigating sub-committee feel should be disclosed.

4.10. The member organisation shall then have two weeks to make the information available to the Investigating sub-committee or to indicate why it feels it cannot provide the requested information.

4.11. Provided that the Investigating sub-committee concludes that sufficient additional information has been disclosed then it will pass such information to the complainant and will take no further action.

4.12. In the event the member organisation does not provide the requested information to the Investigating sub-committee within the two-week period, the Chairman will advise the President of the BPC who shall have the power to suspend the organisation from the BPC or to expel the organisation from the BPC. During the period of suspension, or having had membership withdrawn, the survey organisation may not, of course, claim that it is a member of BPC or that it abides by the rules.

4.13. Before any suspension or expulsion takes effect the member organisation concerned will be advised of the action proposed and have the opportunity (within 14 days of receipt of the proposed action) to call a meeting of the entire membership. The matter shall be discussed at a hearing of the membership called for the purposes of informing the organisation why sanctions have been recommended and giving the organisation the opportunity to defend its position of non-compliance to the membership of the Council with a complete record of such hearing kept and made available to the public upon request. The motion at a meeting of the membership will be determined as a simple majority of those voting in person or by proxy.

4.14. The hearing of the membership will be held within 28 working days of being notified by the member that a full hearing has been requested.

4.15. The matter will then be put to vote of the full membership, which can by majority vote decide that the member organisation can be placed on probation for a specified period of time or even expelled from the Council. Alternatively the finding of the investigating sub-committee may be over-ruled.

4.16. The BPC will produce a press release explaining the final decision that will be posted on the BPC web-site.

4.17. Any survey organisation suspended from the BPC or expelled may only reapply to be a member after a majority of the membership agree that its good standing has been restored.

5. General Meetings

5.1. The BPC will hold an annual general meeting at least once in every calendar year at which accounts will be presented. Normally this will take place in February after the accounts for the previous financial year have been audited.

5.2. The business to be conducted at the AGM shall be such as shall be required by the Management Committee.

5.3. The President will take the chair at the AGM and any EGM. In the absence of the Chairman, members present at the meeting will nominate a chairman for that meeting.

5.4. Any decisions taken at the AGM or EGM requiring a vote will be put to those present and passed on a simple majority. The President will have the casting vote.

5.5. Members and will be given 1 months notice of the AGM, the notice to be in writing and specifying the location and timing of the AGM or EGM together with an agenda for the meeting.

5.6. Members will each be entitled to one vote at the AGM or EGM.

5.7. Any four officers may call an EGM at any time and the President will give all officers at least 21 days notice of the EGM. The rules for the conduct of an EGM will be the same as for the AGM.

 

6. Membership Agreement

Having paid the sum of ____________ Pounds (£ receipt of which is hereby acknowledged) to the British Polling Council ("BPC") in consideration of the BPC accepting _______________________ Ltd as a member, I confirm that I have, prior to becoming a member, read the Rules and Objects of the BPC (herein) and agree as a member of the BPC to be bound by the said Rules and to acknowledge the commitment of _____________________ Ltd to the said Objects, namely to set the highest professional standards for public opinion research

SIGNED ___________________________________

On behalf of ________________________________

Dated ______________________________________

SIGNED ___________________________________

Secretary on behalf of the British Polling Council

Dated ______________________________________

 

6. Membership Agreement (To be retained by Member)

Having paid the sum of ____________ Pounds (£ receipt of which is hereby acknowledged) to the British Polling Council ("BPC") in consideration of the BPC accepting _______________________ Ltd as a member, I confirm that I have, prior to becoming a member, read the Rules and Objects of the BPC (herein) and agree as a member of the BPC to be bound by the said Rules and to acknowledge the commitment of _____________________ Ltd to the said Objects, namely to set the highest professional standards for public opinion research

SIGNED ___________________________________

On behalf of ________________________________

Dated ______________________________________

SIGNED ___________________________________

Secretary, on behalf of the British Polling Council

Dated ______________________________________