Adapting survey mode in a changing survey landscape: Experiences from repeat cross-national, cross-sectional, and general social surveys |
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| Coordinator 1 | Ms Jodie Smylie (NORC at the University of Chicago) |
| Coordinator 2 | Dr René Bautista (NORC at the University of Chicago) |
| Coordinator 3 | Professor Rory Fitzgerald (ESS HQ; City St Georges, University of London) |
| Coordinator 4 | Mr Tim Hanson (ESS HQ; City St Georges, University of London) |
| Coordinator 5 | Mr Nathan Reece (ESS HQ; City St Georges, University of London) |
| Coordinator 6 | Ms Daphne Ahrendt (Eurofound) |
Studies to measure attitudes, opinions, and behaviors are critical to understanding societies around the world. In the face of social developments, changing trends in respondent recruitment methods, budget constraints, national infrastructure disruptions, and public health concerns, many repeat cross-sectional social surveys are experimenting with self-completion and mixed-mode approaches. The European Social Survey (launched 2001), United States’ General Social Survey (launched 1972), and the European Quality of Life Surveys (launched 2003) are examples of longstanding studies collecting data to inform research on changes over time and now exploring and transitioning to new modes. This session brings together cross-sectional social surveys to share experiences in survey mode transition.
The session's aims include: (1) Share results and lessons from recent mode experiments and mixed-mode applications by general social studies, and potential ways to improve methods. (2) Highlight how different cross-sectional studies have recently modified survey protocols to adapt to changing public conditions. (3) Provide space for data creators, data users, and survey practitioners to discuss methodological and statistical challenges for cross-sectional studies considering such moves. (4) Discuss integrity and comparability of data collected using new data collection methods with the existing time-series. (5) Explore applications of emergent technologies to new modes.
We invite submissions from those involved in transitioning repeat, cross-sectional, and cross-national social surveys to new data collection approaches. Topics of interest include: results from pilots or feasibility studies based on self-completion or mixed-mode approaches; findings from experimental research testing aspects of self-completion/mixed-mode designs (e.g., incentive and mailing strategies, survey length adaptations, sequential vs. concurrent designs); impacts of mode switches on measurement and survey time series; and discussions of experiences and challenges with adapting cross-sectional surveys to new modes across different cultural/national contexts.