Program

2026 Survey Costs Workshop

8:30 – 9:00 am Coffee, Breakfast, Gather
9:00 – 9:05 am Call to Order (Kristen Olson)
9:05 – 9:25 am Survey Costs: Gaining a Common Language and Setting a Research Agenda (Kristen Olson)
9:30 – 10:30 am Plenary Panel: Why Discuss Costs?
Stephanie Chardoul, Stephanie Coffey, Ashley Kirzinger, Jordon Peugh
Moderator: James Wagner
10:30 – 10:50 am   Coffee Break
10:50 – 11:00 am   Move to Paper Session #1
11:00 am – 12:00 pm Paper Session #1: Cost Estimation and Cost Models
John Eltinge, Renee Stepler, Justin Jones
Moderator: Chris Jackson
11:00 – 11:05 am Intro
11:05 – 11:20 am Paper #1: Cost Structures for the Design and Operation of Statistical Information Systems
11:21 – 11:36 am Paper #2: Assessing the Full Cost of Survey Incentives: Lessons from Two Case Studies
11:37 – 11:52 am Paper #3: What Varies and What Stays the Same: Cost Modelling for a National Mixed-Mode Study
11:52 – 11:59 am Discussion
12:00 – 12:05 pm Updates & Announcements
12:05 – 12:50 pm Lunch
12:50 – 1:00 pm Move to Paper Session #2
1:00 – 2:00 pm Paper Session #2: Cost Monitoring
Brad Edwards, Erica Wong, Kevin Tolliver
Moderator: Daifeng Han
1:00 – 1:05 pm Intro
1:05 – 1:20 pm Paper #4: Developing Systems for Collecting, Tracking, and Predicting Survey Costs
1:18 – 1:36 pm Paper #5: An Open Book Approach for a New Birth Cohort Study in the UK
1:31 – 1:52 pm Paper #6: Decomposing Survey Costs: Insights from Empirical Modeling of SIPP Operations
1:52 – 1:59 pm Discussion
2:00 – 2:20 pm Coffee Break
2:20 – 2:30 pm Move to Paper Session #3
2:30 – 3:30 pm Paper Session #3: New Methods
Cindy Ubartas, Jill Dematteis, Mark Owens
Moderator: Daifeng Han
2:30 – 2:35 pm Intro
2:35 – 2:40 pm Paper #7: Challenges in Evaluating Costs by Mode for Social Surveys at Statistics Canada
2:40 – 2:55 pm Paper #8: Modernizing Multistage Sampling: Cost-Efficient Sample Design for Face-to-Face Household Studies
2:55 – 3:05 pm Paper #9: Breaking Down the Ideal Blend Phone and Web Samples for Polls of a Single State
3:05 – 3:20 pm Discussion
3:20 – 3:30 pm Move to Final Remarks
3:30 – 4:00 pm Summary of the Day/Questions for Day 2
4:00 – 5:00 pm Happy Hour
5:00 pm Dinner on Your Own
8:30 – 9:00 am Coffee, Breakfast, Gather
9:00 – 10:30 am Concurrent Sessions: Panel/Papers #4
9:00 – 10:30 am Paper Session #4A: Cost-Quality Tradeoffs Panel Session #4B: Dashboards for Survey Cost Monitoring: Benefits, Current Approaches and the Need for Standard Measures
Ashley Amaya, Cilanne Boulet, Leigh Reardon, Renee Kotch
Moderator: John Eltinge
Joe Murphy, Jill Carle, Stephanie Chardoul, Ned English
Moderator: Heidi Guyer
9:00 – 9:05 am Intro
9:05 – 9:20 am Paper #14: What Does More Money Buy You in Bias Reduction of Engagement Measures?
9:20 – 9:35 am Paper #15: Adjusting and Optimizing Social Survey Designs According to Cost by Mode at Statistics Canada
9:35 – 9:50 am Paper #16: Assessing the Cost-Efficiency of Mailed Invitations for Survey Panelists
9:50 – 10:05 Paper #17: Balancing Cost and Data Quality in Field Studies: Strategies, Pitfalls, and Real-World Lessons
10:05 – 10:30 am Discussion
Paper Session #4C: Cost Estimation Methods Paper Session #4D: Case Studies in Incentives
Summer Gillen, Valerie Keppenne, Judith Kronschnabel,
Moderator: James Wagner
Heidi Guyer, Nick Bertoni, Robin Gentry, Martha McRoy
Moderator: Jill DeMatteis
9:00 – 9:05 am Intro Intro
9:05 – 9:20 am Paper #18: It Takes a Village: A Case Study in Multidisciplinary Interaction in Cost Estimations for Complex Programs Paper #22: How Much Does It Take? A Cost Assessment of Experiments and Recruitment Strategies in the National Dementia Workforce Study (NDWS)
9:20 – 9:35 am Paper #19: Simple, Yet Effective: Estimating Survey Costs Using Microsoft Excel Paper #23: Cost Evaluation of a $5 Visual Gift Card Versus a Visible $1 Bill in Panel Recruitment Mailings
9:35 – 9:50 am Paper #20: A European Perspective on Harmonising Survey Cost Structures: Insights from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) Paper #24: The Great Incentive Swap: Why Less Upfront Might Get You More in the End
9:50 – 10:05 Paper #21: TBD Paper #25: Incentivized Mode Choice Experiments in a Multimode Survey: Results from the Healthy Illinois Survey
10:05 – 10:30 am Discussion Discussion
10:30 – 10:50 am   Coffee Break  
10:50 – 11:00 am   Move to Paper Session #5  
11:00 am – 12:30 pm Concurrent Sessions: Papers #5  
Paper Session #5A: New Methods Paper Session #5B: Cost Estimation Problems
Jablonski Wojtek, Logan Brinzel, Randal ZuWallack, Taylor Lewis
Moderator: Kristen Olson
Miranda Kaye, Summer Gillen, James Wagner, Caroline Lancaster
Moderator: Jill DeMatteis
11:00 – 11:05 am Intro Intro
11:05 – 11:20 am Paper #26: Improving Survey Quality While Cutting Costs: ESHPM’s Panel Initiative Paper #30: Are There Hidden Costs Associated with Design Decisions?
11:20 – 11:35 am Paper #27: Costing Immunization Coverage Survey Methodologies in Lower Income Countries Paper #31: Don’t Forget the Weather Report: A Discussion of the Impact of Exogenous Factors on Research Costs
11:35 – 11:50 am Paper #28: Leveraging Complementary Strengths of ABS and RDD in the IM² Survey Design Paper #32: Estimating Cost Savings from Applying a Stopping Rule in a Face-to-Face Survey
11:50 am – 12:05 pm Paper #29: Are Paper Surveys Worth the Cost? Comparing a Sequential Mixed-Mode Web and Paper Survey Data Collection Protocol with a Web-Only Protocol Paper #33: Case-Level Effort as a Measure of Survey Costs in a Multi-Mode Survey
12:05 – 12:30 pm Discussion Discussion
Paper Session #5C: Case Studies Panel Session #5D: Detecting Differences That Matter: Lessons from RANDS and RSS for Cost-Quality Tradeoffs in Federal Surveys
Ryan Baer, Kyle Endres, Amanda Ferrara
Moderator: TBD
Paul Scanlon, Justin Baer, Elizabeth Eisenhauer
Moderator: TBD
11:00 – 11:05 am Intro
11:05 – 11:20 am Paper #10: Targeted Reselects: Enhancing Demographic Representation Across Hard-to-Reach Demographics
11:20 – 11:35 am Paper #11: TBD
11:35 – 11:50 am Paper #12: Approaches to Offset Rising Postage Costs?
11:50 am – 12:05 pm Paper #13: Changes in Methodology, Costs per Complete, and Response Rates Over a 5-Year Statewide Dual-Frame Random Digit Dial Project
12:05 – 12:30 pm Discussion
12:30 – 1:20 pm Lunch  
1:20 – 1:30 pm Move to Small Group Discussion  
1:30 – 2:30 pm Guided Small Group Discussion: Main Findings & Next Steps  
2:30 pm Adjourn