New CASRO Body Backs ISO Standards

US market research association CASRO has formed a subsidiary called the CASRO Institute for Research Quality (CIRQ) to provide assessment and certification services to North American research firms looking for international MR standards ISO 20252 and ISO 26362.

The services of the wholly owned, non-profit subsidiary will be available to both members and non-members of CASRO (the Council of American Survey Research Organisations). CIRQ will share a New York office with CASRO, which says the move reflects the lack of an accredited certification body for ISO 20252 or ISO 26362 in North America or any standards organization on the continent interested in becoming one.

'Though internationally respected, the standards have yet to be widely implemented in the USA. ISO 20252:2006 covers survey research in general and includes stipulations on training, documentation, validation, transparency and control of subcontractors. ISO 26362:2009 deals specifically with minimum standards for access panel research, both online and offline but not including continuously reporting panels such as those for TV ratings.

CASRO is the US-designated representative to the ISO research standards development committee, and CIRQ will be independently operated and managed under the oversight of an Advisory Board and submitted to annual moderation by external authorities on ISO certification bodies.

The association's home page is at www.casro.org .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.