Bob doesn't like answering poll questions and wants to know if he has the right to refuse. Well, that depends. If Bob's employer wants to know if he's a member of a union, or if his mairie rings to ask his opinion on urban planning or local services Bob has every right to refuse.

On the other hand, he is required by law to respond to questions posed in the context of an official public enquiry such as a national census. The information gathered is considered in the public interest and is used for planning purposes and the distribution of public services, roadworks and such.

In the cases where Bob is required to give his name, he has the right to know why the information is being gathered and to request access to the information associated with his name as well as the right to subsequent rectification of his answers. The same applies to private polls or surveys to which he has responded voluntarily, with the added requirement that his name must be permanently removed from computer records within two months of the time he gave his answers. Privacy laws forbid a private organisation from keeping nominative computer records of poll questions for more than two months.

From Reporter 107 - Feb/Mar 2005 

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