Port Jefferson, NY – The Council of American Survey Research Organizations (CASRO) has endorsed President Obama’s nomination of Dr. Robert M. Groves as Director of the Bureau of the Census.  Letters in support of Dr. Groves have been sent to Senator Joseph Lieberman, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and other key elected officials.

“Bob’s academic and professional accomplishments in the field of social and survey science have advanced the research industry’s commitment to research reliability, non-bias, and objective measurement and analysis,” states one of the official letters of support, signed by Diane Bowers, CASRO President and Dr. Andrew J. Morrison, CEO of Market Strategies International, and 2009 CASRO Board Chair.

“I believe Bob Groves will be a superior leader of the Bureau of the Census, working to ensure that the Bureau’s programs protect individual confidentiality as they present accurate measurements of populations,” stated Larry Ponemon, Chairman of Ponemon Institute, a research center dedicated to privacy, data protection and information security policy. 
 
Richard Day, President of Richard Day Research, Inc., and Co-Chair of CASRO’s Government & Public Affairs Committee, noted, “Bob Groves is an excellent and highly-respected survey scientist, whose impact on the practice of survey research has been considerable and long-standing.”

Survey research, including public opinion research, marketing research, social research, and political research, is the scientific measurement of the opinions of a group of people or of the general public. CASRO’s membership of over 325 companies, representing about 80% of the US survey research industry, conducts survey research in every state and around the globe.  CASRO, its members, and the survey research industry in general are committed to protecting the confidentiality and respecting the privacy of our citizens, any of whom, at one time or another, may be asked to participate in a survey.

As a major advocate for research business integrity, ethics, and standards, CASRO believes Dr. Groves is an excellent choice to lead the Census at this critical time in our country.