2026 Survey Costs Workshop

2026 Survey Costs Workshop

February 9 – 10, 2026

Survey costs are one of the most important factors driving design decisions and affecting  errors in sample surveys and related work with other records. Efforts by survey organizations and practitioners to mitigate costs are myriad, from adopting new data collection methods, utilizing more affordable sample sources, and using administrative or other organic data sources as a replacement or companion to survey data. The impact of such cost-driven design decisions on survey errors and survey quality is largely unknown.  

Survey costs can be measured in monetary units (e.g., dollars, euros) and non-monetary units (e.g., personnel hours, relative costs). Empirical information about how different cost metrics (e.g., currency, non-currency, relative costs) are associated with survey design features is sparse and underexplored. When cost calculations are provided, the definitions of what is included are often unclear, making comparisons across studies and organizations difficult. This lack of information means that survey researchers and organizations are making decisions about assumed cost-error tradeoffs in isolation of empirical data.  

The goal of this workshop is to promote a common language around survey costs, much like AAPOR’s Standard Definitions for response rates, and to start a research agenda around costs. The goal is not to share proprietary cost information. This workshop will explore research on and description of systems for collecting and monitoring survey costs across survey researchers and organizations. The workshop will explore alternative measures of costs and the association between survey costs and survey errors.  This should lead naturally toward making more informed decisions about optimizing survey designs. 

Structure

The workshop will contain invited and contributed presentations and panel discussions of survey costs. The workshop will also have extended opportunities for small group discussion with the goal of outlining a white paper describing best practices and areas for future research, which will serve as a key output of the workshop. 

Who Should Attend?

This workshop is open to survey scientists, statisticians and methodologists, academic researchers, and survey financial experts who have research or practical experience to share that is in line with the topics described below. 

Outcomes

Attendees will learn about how other organizations track costs while having an opportunity to share their problems and issues. The result should be more shared terminology, a clearer understanding of industry best practices, and an opportunity to learn about and participate in new research in this area. The workshop organizers will write a white paper summarizing the papers, presentations, and discussion of the workshop, along with identifying future research areas. 

Abstract Submission

The workshop committee is currently seeking abstracts for presentations or panel sessions on survey costs. Abstracts must be submitted by November 26, 2025. Click here to submit an abstract.  

Event Details

When: February 9-10, 2026. The workshop will end no later than 3:00 PM Eastern on February 10.  

Where: Westat Conference Center, 7501 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814 (see Hotel & Travel page for more details.)

Format: In-person workshop. No virtual participation will be available. 

Cost: The registration cost will be announced when registration opens in October. 

 

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