ESOMAR Guideline. Conducting Market Research Using the Internet

Abstract

A new Guideline issued by ESOMAR covering research using the Internet. Key principles are: respondent co-operation must be voluntary and respondents dealt with honestly (as with all research); the identity of the researcher must be disclosed; respondents’ rights to anonymity must be safeguarded; adequate security must be offered to respondents in transmission of sensitive or confidential data; users of research and the general public must not be misled about the reliability and validity of Internet research findings (therefore the researcher must be open about the sampling and methodology used, and possible limitations); the same rules as in other research must be followed when interviewing minors (see the ESOMAR Guideline on this subject); unsolicited e-mail must be kept to a minimum, and options to be excluded from further contact provided to the respondent.