Task force led by Olson, Smyth releases key AAPOR report

Photo Credit: Kristen Olson and Jolene Smyth
Fri, 11/01/2019 - 13:23

Led by Husker sociologists Kristen Olson and Jolene Smyth, the American Association for Public Opinion Research's Mixed Mode Task Force has released its report on transitions from telephone surveys to self-administered and mixed-mode surveys. The report examines what surveys have done in this transition, what is known, and where areas are open for additional insights and research.

"The world of survey research is undergoing a fundamental shift in how work is being done," Olson said, "from a more traditional approach using telephone surveys to a mix of mail surveys, web surveys—a combination of modes of data collection. This shift is hard, and the Task Force report provides empirical guidance to this changing world."

Olson is Leland J. and Dorothy H. Olson Professor in and vice chair of the Department of Sociology who studies survey methods, particularly on why nonresponse, measurement and coverage errors occur in surveys. Smyth is an associate professor in the department and the director of the Bureau of Sociological Research who specializes in survey methodology and gender.

The AAPOR is the leading professional organization of public opinion and survey research professionals in the U.S., with members from academia, media, government, the non-profit sector and private industry.