Privacy Policy

Nashville Research Group is committed to maintaining the privacy and security of personal information collected from persons who participate in our research projects, regardless of the medium used for data collection. We do not conduct sales or direct marketing, nor do we provide personal information to be used for direct contact sales or marketing purposes. Nashville Research Group is also committed to the confidentiality of each client study, with only those persons directly involved with the study having specific knowledge of the study, as we feel that is necessary to complete the client’s project.

Privacy is an especially important issue for market and opinion research in order to conduct accurate research and since we are in contact with consumers and business persons on a daily basis. In this regard, we often obtain confidential information from such persons. In order to protect the company and our respondents and to comply with legal requirements, it is important that every member of the Nashville Research Group team continually comply with our Privacy Policy when handling personal information. Please be assured that we do not sell your information. All personal information gathered will remain confidential and be used for research purposes only.

As a member of the Insights Association (“IA”), the professional trade association of marketing research companies, Nashville Research Group abides by the IA’s Code of Marketing Research Standards. For more information, visit the IA website at www.insightsassociation.org.

PURPOSE OF MARKET RESEARCH

We perform market research for the benefit of our clients, who include for-profit companies, non-profit organizations, and governmental institutions. Our clients use the results for a variety of purposes. For example, results are used to better understand customer awareness, use, and preferences for various products and services. Other clients use the results to measure social attitudes and public opinion on political and social issues.

RESPONDENT DATABASE

Nashville Research Group maintains a database for the purpose of inviting respondents to participate in research activities. Registration into this database is voluntary. While the information provided in the database is the primary means of inviting participation, an invitation to participate in future research may also be distributed through other means.

Information provided by respondents is voluntary and is used exclusively for the purpose of identifying eligibility for participation in future research. Please note, you may be asked to answer follow up questions that may be necessary to qualify a respondent for specific research studies. Registration in the Nashville Research Group database may be discontinued at any time by calling Nashville Research Group or sending an email to surveys@nashvilleresearch.com. As soon as practical after receiving your request to discontinue registration, all personal information will be removed from the database and you will not receive further invitations.

CONFIDENTIALITY OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

We will never sell, share, rent or otherwise intentionally transfer your full name, address, telephone number or e-mail address to our clients, other market research companies, direct marketing companies or anyone else except as provided herein. We may transfer your information to another market researcher for the purposes of confirming your participation in a particular research study or project. In general, clients will not receive the last name, email or telephone number of any respondent for any research study, or any screeners or sign-out sheets containing any last names, emails or telephone numbers, unless the study explicitly indicates that such information may be shared. Client management and facility staff will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement when Nashville Research Group participants other facilities or locations.

CHILDREN’S PRIVACY

Nashville Research Group does not knowingly make direct contact with children under 13 to participate in research activities. If we require survey information from children, we contact the parent or guardian to arrange the survey activities and we encourage the parent or guardian to closely monitor and participate in the survey activities.

Nashville Research Group complies with all applicable national children’s privacy regulations. We comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (“COPPA”). We do not collect any personal information from children under 13 years of age. As part of the validation process for our clients, we may collect the names of individuals who participated in research activities, which may include the names of children who are under 13 years of age if they participated in any research activities. From time to time, we may also ask our adult respondents whether they have children under 13 residing with them who might want to participate in research activities. If you believe that you or your child are receiving correspondence from us in violation of this policy, please contact surveys@nashvilleresearch.com and that information will be removed from the database immediately.

CONFIDENTIALITY OF RESPONSES

We combine your responses in a given project with the responses of all others who participate and report those combined responses to the client that commissioned the study. We will not intentionally report your individual survey responses, unless (a) you explicitly consent to sharing your identifying information and individual responses with our client, or (b) the information is part of a focus group screener where certain identifying information (i.e., your last name, street address and/or phone number) has been removed.

Personal information provided to Nashville Research Group is confidential and combined with information gathered from other survey participants and shown in aggregate unless otherwise indicated within the survey. If we indicate that personal information may be included in the research findings, we ensure that the information is treated with the strictest confidence. We will not mislead a participant regarding the nature of the research or how the information will be used. If you feel that your information was disclosed in violation of this policy, please contact surveys@nashvilleresearch.com.

ONLINE

We abide by the highest standards of privacy established by the Internet community in the United States. In particular, we will never intentionally “spam” Internet users to seek their participation in surveys. Rather, we will send e-mail invitations only to people who we believe have “opted-in” – i.e., affirmatively agreed – to receive such invitations through prior independent communications.

Nashville Research Group may have personal email addresses in its email system or data files that are acquired through: (a) requests for information submitted to our web site; (b) emails sent to Nashville Research Group; (c) research surveys completed for Nashville Research Group; (d) Clients who have provided email addresses for research purposes. The CAN SPAM Act applies specifically to commercial emails sent for the purpose of sales or direct marketing. Nashville Research Group does not fall into this category; however, it voluntarily observes the CAN SPAM Act requirements that can be applied to survey research. Nashville Research Group uses email as a means of communicating to known clients, participants and customers.

When email is used to invite respondents to participate in surveys, the following processes are used to ensure we do not send SPAM: (a) we clearly identify ourselves and/or the client when sending an invitation; (b) we provide contact information should there be any questions or concerns; (c) we reuse email addresses only as a legitimate follow up to survey research.

These processes ensure that we contact only those who could have an expectation of being contacted for research purposes.

DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

Under certain circumstances, Nashville Research Group may be required or permitted by law or court orders to collect, use, and/or disclose personal information and notice of such disclosure may not be required. Personal information may also be disclosed when the survey clearly states that the information will be disclosed, or when a participant makes a request during the survey that can only be fulfilled by disclosing information from the survey.

Clients, vendors, contractors, or partners who have access to survey information are required, at a minimum, to sign a confidentiality agreement when personal information is provided to Clients, vendors, contractors, or partners. The confidentiality agreement requires them to keep the personal information confidential. They are not permitted to use this information for any purpose other than to carry out the services they are performing for Nashville Research Group.

Nashville Research Group employees are also required to sign a confidentiality agreement in which they agree to keep all project and respondent personal information confidential. Employees who violate the confidentiality agreement are subject to disciplinary actions, including termination when appropriate.

In the event of a sale, merger, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization, or acquisition of Nashville Research Group the acquiring party would agree to be bound by the terms of the Nashville Research Group Privacy Policy before any information would be transferred.

PERSONAL INFORMATION SECURITY

Nashville Research Group is committed to keeping personal data secure and will take all reasonable precautions to protect personal information from loss, misuse, or alteration. This data is stored on our internal network servers that are protected by firewalls and other appropriate security mechanisms.

NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES

Nashville Research Group reserves the right to modify and update this privacy policy and its related business practices at any time. Please view this Privacy Policy on a regular basis.