Michael D. Larsen, ASA SRMS Program Chair-elect
The ASA SRMS will sponsor four P.M. roundtables at JSM 2011 in Miami Beach, Florida.
Tom W. Smith, general social survey director at NORC/University of Chicago, will lead “The General Social Survey (GSS) and the Methodology for Studying Societal Change.” The GSS has been tracking societal trends since 1972. It has measured changes in more than 1,000 attitudinal, behavioral, and demographic variables. In carrying out this widespread social indicators monitoring, the GSS has developed both theoretical and applied approaches for maximizing the reliability and validity of trends and minimizing the occurrence of measurement artifacts.
Brady T. West, a PhD candidate and lead statistician at the University of Michigan Program in Survey Methodology, will lead “Measurement Error in Survey Paradata.” The use of paradata, or data collection process information, to enhance survey administration, survey estimation, and the monitoring of survey data quality has become almost ubiquitous with recent advances in data collection technology. Unfortunately, little is known about the error properties of the paradata and the implications of these error properties for survey operations and the quality of survey estimates. The objectives of this roundtable discussion will be to 1) discuss current uses of survey paradata, 2) brainstorm methods for quantifying the error in paradata collected using a variety of modes, 3) discuss study designs for analyzing the implications of the measurement error for survey operations and estimation, and 4) identify meaningful research agendas in this area.
Donsig Jang, director of the statistics department at Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., will lead “Survey Quality Indicator Measures: Response Rates and Alternatives.” Response rate is often used as an indication of measuring the quality of the survey response. However, it only tells one side of the survey story; the other side, about the association between respondents and nonrespondents, is unknown. Researchers continue to seek the tools to assess and compare the quality of the response to different surveys. Participants in this roundtable will discuss the use of alternatives to response rates in measuring survey quality.
Daniel Weinberg, senior research scientist at the U.S. Census Bureau, will lead “Research at the U.S. Census Bureau.” Recognizing the importance of research to find improved ways to conduct censuses and surveys, the U.S. Census Bureau has set up a new Research and Methodology Directorate. Weinberg will describe the organization of the directorate, some of the key statistical problems to be addressed, and exciting employment opportunities arising from this initiative.
You can register for these roundtables when you complete your JSM registration. Note that roundtables are limited to 10 attendees, so register early to reserve a spot.
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