The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at the University of Connecticut is a non-profit, non-partisan international archive of social science data, specializing in data from opinion surveys.The data held by the Roper Center ranges from the mid-1930s to the present. Most Roper survey data is from the United States, but data sets from 90 other countries are also held. The Center also provide graduate training in the practice and study of opinion survey research.
Overview
Details
Year established
1947
Still in Operation
Yes
Main Address
369 Fairfield Way
Unit 1164
Storrs, CT 06269-1164
United States
Subject Areas
Resource Types
CRL Analysis & Profile
Mission Statement
"The Center exists to promote the intelligent, responsible, and imaginative use of public opinion in addressing the problems faced by Americans and citizens of other nations." and “To facilitate research on public opinion by faculty, staff, and students at many universities, researchers in the public and private sectors, journalists, policymakers, and private citizens.” (2015)
The focus of Roper Center acquisitions is "respondent-level data from surveys that may or may not have been released publicly by the original data producer or sponsoring organization. This constitutes the Roper Center’s core collection." - Acquisitons policy, 2015.
History
1947: Roper Collection donated to Williams College by Elmo Roper.
1957: Roper Public Opinion Research Center established at Williams.
1977: Roper Center transferred to the University of Connecticut.
Financial Information
Market consists of public, commercial and academic users. The Center is supported largely by grants and revenue from its institutional members. These include academic institutions, corporations, non-profits and government agencies. Worldwide, there are more than 250 institutional members.
Governance: Board / Owners / Parent organization
The Roper Center is a 501(c)(3) corporation, incorporated in the State of Delaware. It is governed by a board of directors drawn from academia, the media, technology, and the public opinion industry. Operations are governed by the Center’s Executive Director, who provides final approval of all new acquisition efforts, and is advised by an Acquisitions Committee.
Technical Information
The Roper Center is a member of the Data Preservation Alliance for the Social Sciences (Data-PASS), a partnership of organizations dedicated to the preservation of social science research data. Data-PASS partners participate in a shared catalog, "have developed and implemented a common approach to data preservation, and engage in other collaborative projects that support best practices for research data archives."
In April 2015 The Roper Center was awarded the Data Seal of Approval.
Access
The Roper Center provides access to its databases on a subscription basis, through a web interface, authenticating users through IP address.