特集　世論調査方法の再検証 —「総合調査学」へ向けて —
序．特集号にあたって

抄録

Our study group, called Survey Methodology Workshop (SMW), consists of various members, who have been concerned with the Public Opinion Research, including scholars, survey methodologists and marketing researchers. The purpose of SMW is that each of the members is beyond his/her deference in the position and cooperates to get over the crisis of the Public Opinion Research.
This special issue includes seven research papers written by the group members. From the first to the fourth paper, each of the authors writes about different survey methodologies, which cover most of the interview modes, including face-to-face interview surveys, postal mail surveys, Internet surveys and exit poll in turn. From the fifth to seventh paper, the other authors write about “practical issues” on survey methodologies of the Public Opinion Research. I mean by “practical issues” mean, in other words, the management of the actual research, the technique of sampling, and the design of the questionnaire. It is necessary to realize that survey methodology and measurement method used are both very important, as well as sampling technique, for the development of Public Opinion Research.
Changes in our society require us the conversion of methods in the Public Opinion Research. We must build the Discipline of Total Survey Methodology which includes the research and study in area of research planning, survey management, and psychology of survey or interview.
Finally, our papers contain a lot of fundamental findings to contribute to the study of the Public Opinion Research.