Center for Opinion Research of Franklin & Marshall College
Last Updated: March 2026
Overview
The Franklin & Marshall College Center for Opinion Research is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality, and security of all individuals who participate in our research activities.
As a research unit of Franklin & Marshall College, the Center adheres to applicable federal and state laws, established research ethics standards, and College data governance policies.
Voluntary Participation
Participation in any COR survey, poll, interview, or study is voluntary.
Participants may decline to answer any question or discontinue participation at any time, where feasible.
Information Collected
Depending on the nature of the study, we may collect:
- Survey responses and opinions
- Demographic information
- Public policy, civic, or consumer attitudes
- Contact information (when voluntarily provided)
- Technical information associated with online participation (e.g., IP address)
Public opinion polling may include questions about elections, public policy, community issues, health, education, or economic conditions.
Use of Information
Information collected is used solely for legitimate research, statistical analysis, reporting, and academic purposes.
Results are reported in aggregated form. Individual responses are not publicly disclosed.
The Center does not sell personal information and does not use survey responses for commercial marketing.
Public Polling and Reporting
In public polling projects:
- Findings may be published, released to media organizations, or shared with sponsoring entities.
- Reported data reflect aggregated results and statistical summaries.
- No individual respondent is identified in published findings unless explicit written consent has been provided.
Confidentiality and Data Protection
The Center employs reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect research data from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.
Access to identifiable data is restricted to authorized personnel.
Data Retention
Research data are retained only as long as necessary for research, contractual, or legal purposes. Identifiable information is removed or securely destroyed when no longer required.
Anonymized datasets may be retained for scholarly or archival research purposes.
Participant Rights
Participants may request information regarding the use of their data and, where applicable, request correction of inaccurate personal information.
Certain rights may be limited when data have been de-identified or aggregated for statistical analysis.
Contact Information
For questions about this Privacy Policy or data practices, please contact:
Center for Opinion Research
Floyd Institute for Public Policy
Franklin & Marshall College
P.O. Box 3003
Lancaster, PA 17604