SurveyMonkey, one of the initial companies in Google Captial’s portfolio, announced that it has teamed up with Pew Research Center and Westat to “examine non-probability sampling and potential frameworks for measurement and evaluation.”

The primary focus of the collaboration, SurveyMonkey says, is to better understand non-probability research and different ways of gauging survey quality.

“We’re excited to be working in association with the nation’s top research organizations to help create a consistent set of measures and techniques,” said Jon Cohen, SurveyMonkey VP of Survey Research. “We hope to improve understanding of this new era of opinion research and move the entire industry forward.”

“Having no singular framework for non-probability sampling is limiting the insights market researchers and opinion pollsters can deliver,” said Mike Brick, a Westat Senior Statistician. “Collectively, we want to explore the assumptions of the underlying model and if, or how, revisions should be made to rethink quality in our industry.”

Each of the organizations will contribute data and staff time to the initiative. SurveyMonkey will provide access to its online panel.

SurveyMonkey was the first of three initial Google Capital investments, raising $800 million early last year in a round that included Google and others.

Image via SurveyMonkey