Vision and Objectives

Maintaining and Improving the Quality of Social Research

Analyses of various data collected through social survey constitute a basic foundation, or social infrastructure, in contemporary society. There are many types of social surveys: public opinion research that influences political trends, official statistics used by national and local governments as grounds for developing and implementing policies, scholarly research that can elucidate social structures and changes therein, as well as marketing research used by businesses for their own economic activities.

The Japanese Association for Social Research (JASR) was founded by researchers engaged in academics and education in the field of social research at universities and other institutions. The objective of JASR is to improve the quality of social survey research and to establish the public trust in social survey research. Its core activity is the Social Researcher Certification Program which aims, by granting the Certificate to individuals who have sufficient professional social research skills and knowledge, to enhance the professional quality of social research and contribute to the dissemination of accurate understanding about social research among the public.

History

Establishment and Development of the Certification Program

The Program of Certified Social Researcher has a unique history. In 1995, the School of Sociology at Kwansei Gakuin University, renowned for having the longest history and largest graduating classes as a sociology faculty in Japan, launched a program to certify qualified social researchers for students who completed a specific set of courses relating to social research methods. Many other universities followed Kwansei Gakuin in adopting a campus-level social researcher certification program.

Because these programs only offered accreditation at the individual universities, many sociology researchers began to promote the idea that a certification program beyond individual universities should be established. In response to such momentum, the Japan Sociological Society consulted with the Japan Society of Educational Sociology and the Behaviormetric Society of Japan. In 2003, the three societies served as parental bodies in the birth of the Japanese Certification Board for Social Researcher. At last, the Program of Certified Social Researcher commenced to provide certification authorized by all three academic societies.

In 2008, the Japanese Certification Board for Social Researcher reorganized itself as the Japanese Association for Social Research and became independent of the three societies. As a general incorporated association, JASR is now conducting extensive activities relating to social research and operates the Program of Certified Social Researcher as its principal project.

Message from the President

Hello, everyone. My name is Tomio Tani, and I am the chairperson of the Japanese Association for Social Research.

The primary mission of our association is to certify “Certified Social Researcher”. In simple terms, “social research” refers to the collection, description, and analysis of data related to social issues. For example, national and local governments conduct social research to accurately understand citizens’ opinions and attitudes toward social life, thereby informing policy formulation. Likewise, companies use it to develop or improve products by gaining an accurate understanding of consumer needs and preferences. Such activities are indispensable to the political and economic systems of modern society, namely democracy and capitalism.

To train experts in social research and send them out into society, the Japan Society of Educational Sociology, the Behaviormetric Society, and the Japan Sociological Society jointly established the Japanese Association for Social Research, Inc. in 2003.

Over the past 20 years, more than 40,000 students have graduated from undergraduate programs with the qualification of “Certified Social Researcher.” In addition, approximately 4,000 individuals have earned the advanced qualification of “Certified Advanced Social Researcher” after acquiring further specialized skills.

The association will continue to work with university faculty nationwide to cultivate capable professionals who can conduct social surveys effectively and manage personal information responsibly.

To achieve this, we must adapt to changes in the environment surrounding social surveys. Notably, when the association was established 20 years ago, the emergence of data science had not been anticipated. Today, topics such as big data analysis, the benefits of machine learning, and the advantages and disadvantages of web surveys are actively discussed among experts. We hope that through these discussions, the appropriate use of such tools will be integrated into future social research education.

Finally, beyond certification, the association engages in various activities and shares information related to social research. Details of these activities are available on our website, and we welcome any questions or comments. We look forward to hearing from you.

June 2024

Organization

The JASR is founded on academic and business communities involved in social research as well as on university faculties and departments that undertake social research education.

The Association is comprised of members and representatives. Members are advanced professionals in social research studies, education and/or practices. Representatives are selected from the members by vote. The legal status of JASR is a general incorporated association. The official constituent individuals are representatives.

The general activities of the Association are directed and managed by the Board of Directors elected at a general meeting by representatives. The committees and secretariats are in charge of various JASR activities and deal with practical affairs. In addition to board members, representatives and members of the Association, many non-member professional social researchers from academic and business communities are working in cooperation with JASR’s activities.

Liaison with University Education

The Program of Certified Social Researcher is targeted principally at students in social research courses taken at universities. Each university (or department) participating in the Program appoints a liaison professor as a contact person for managing cooperation, collaboration and exchange.

These liaison professors from the universities take on various responsibilities: (a) They organize the social research courses in the university or department and submit to JASR for course qualification each year, (b) They collect the applications of students for certification and submit them to JASR. These must be filled out by undergraduate/graduate students who have completed the official courses at their universities and meet other qualification conditions, and (c) For closer cooperation with JASR, they represent their own university or department by communicating various opinions and requests on JASR regarding the Program of Certified Social Researcher.

Member Universities