The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research will remain at Cornell for another 10 years, the longest term in the partnership's history, as of Aug. 1.

Founded in 1947 by pioneering pollster Elmo Roper, the Roper Center is the world’s largest archive of public opinion survey data. The center’s searchable online database, Roper iPoll, makes survey data from as far back as the 1930s available to researchers around the world. Today, over 280 member organizations utilize the collection, which includes more than 925,000 searchable questions and 25,000 datasets from leading polling organizations.

“This renewal marks a significant milestone for the Roper Center and speaks volumes about its productive relationship with Cornell,” said Jonathon P. Schuldt, executive director of the Roper Center and professor of communication and public policy. “The center has thrived here, and it’s hard to imagine a more supportive and invested host institution.”  

The Roper Center relocated to Ithaca in 2015, when Cornell won a competitive process to become its new host. The center is governed independently by an external board of directors; chair Robert Y. Shapiro is the Wallace S. Sayre Professor of Government in the Department of Political Science at Columbia University.

“The extended time frame for the renewal represents the confidence the Board has that the center at Cornell will thrive,” Shapiro said. “Central to the expansion and the use of the archive has been the leadership the center has provided the public opinion research community. The center has emphasized the need for transparency and high standards in the collection of survey data, and the way in which opinion surveys are conducted have undergone major changes in recent years and have received national and international attention.”

Gary Koretzky ’78, vice provost for research, echoed Shapiro’s sentiment, noting the long-standing, productive relationship between the Roper Center and Cornell.  “I am thrilled that our partners at Roper are as excited as we are about renewing and extending our agreement,” he said. “I am confident that our collaborations will continue to flourish, catalyzing hugely impactful work.” 

Cornell's robust research infrastructure and emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration have proven advantageous for the Roper Center. Since the move, the center has expanded its collection and launched several initiatives to make public opinion research more widely available:

• The America's Voice Project grants the public access to polling data through traditional community resources like public libraries, schools, local and independent media, and nonprofit organizations.
• The Health Poll Database, created during the COVID-19 pandemic, aggregates public opinion data on health-related topics like disease prevention, health care access and social determinants of health. 
• The Roper Roundtables series brings together leading experts and data users for insightful conversations about election polling, data journalism, opinion trends and more.

“With more than 1,500 registered iPoll users from across Cornell, the Roper Center has become a leading hub for public opinion and survey research at Cornell,” said Natalie Bazarova, associate vice provost for research. “The center has jumpstarted new research collaborations, connections and conversations across campus. The next phase of our partnership builds on a highly productive foundation and will further strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, innovation and education in public opinion research at Cornell.”

In addition to archiving polling data and educating people on public opinion trends, the Roper Center aims to promote understanding of survey research methods as they continue to evolve. The center also engages students in this work through scholarships including its Kohut Research Scholar program and W.E.B. Du Bois Scholar program.

All that work will continue at Cornell as the Roper Center approaches its 80th anniversary in 2027.