Program

2026 Survey Costs Workshop

Monday, February 9, 2026

8:30 – 9:30 am Breakfast + Registration
9:30 – 10:00 am Call to Order (Kristen Olson)
Survey Costs: Gaining a Common Language and Setting a Research Agenda
10:00 – 11:00 am Plenary Panel: Why Discuss Costs?
Stephanie Chardoul, Stephanie Coffey, Ashley Kirzinger, Jordon Peugh
Moderator: James Wagner
11:00 – 11:30 am   Coffee Break
11:30 am – 12:30 pm Paper Session #1: Cost Estimation and Cost Models
John Eltinge, Renee Stepler, Justin Jones
Moderator: Chris Jackson
Paper #1: Cost Structures for the Design and Operation of Statistical Information Systems
Paper #2: Assessing the Full Cost of Survey Incentives: Lessons from Two Case Studies
Paper #3: What Varies and What Stays the Same: Cost Modelling for a National Mixed-Mode Study
Discussion
12:30 – 1:30 pm Lunch
1:30 – 2:30 pm Paper Session #2: Cost Monitoring
Brad Edwards, Erica Wong, Kevin Tolliver
Moderator: Daifeng Han
Intro
Paper #4: Developing Systems for Collecting, Tracking, and Predicting Survey Costs
Paper #5: An Open Book Approach for a New Birth Cohort Study in the UK
Paper #6: Decomposing Survey Costs: Insights from Empirical Modeling of SIPP Operations
Discussion
2:30 – 3:00 pm Coffee Break
3:00 – 4:00 pm Paper Session #3: New Methods
Cindy Ubartas, Jill Dematteis, Mark Owens
Moderator: Daifeng Han
Intro
Paper #7: Challenges in Evaluating Costs by Mode for Social Surveys at Statistics Canada
Paper #8: Modernizing Multistage Sampling: Cost-Efficient Sample Design for Face-to-Face Household Studies
Paper #9: Breaking Down the Ideal Blend Phone and Web Samples for Polls of a Single State
Discussion
4:00 – 4:30 pm Summary of the Day/Questions for Day 2 (James Wagner)
4:30 – 5:30 pm Happy Hour
5:00 pm Dinner on Your Own

Tuesday, February 10th, 2026

9:30 – 10:00 am Coffee, Breakfast, Gather
10:00 – 11:30 am Concurrent Sessions: Panel/Papers #4
Panel Session #4A: Dashboards for Survey Cost Monitoring: Benefits, Current Approaches and the Need for Standard Measures Paper Session #4B: Cost-Quality Tradeoffs
Joe Murphy, Jill Carle, Stephanie Chardoul, Micah Sjoblom
Moderator: Kristen Olson		 Ashley Amaya, Cilanne Boulet, Leigh Reardon, Renee Kotch
Moderator: John Eltinge
Intro
Paper #14: What Does More Money Buy You in Bias Reduction of Engagement Measures?
Paper #15: Adjusting and Optimizing Social Survey Designs According to Cost by Mode at Statistics Canada
Paper #16: Assessing the Cost-Efficiency of Mailed Invitations for Survey Panelists
Paper #17: Balancing Cost and Data Quality in Field Studies: Strategies, Pitfalls, and Real-World Lessons
Discussion
Paper Session #4C: Cost Estimation Methods Paper Session #4D: Case Studies in Incentives
Summer Gillen, Valerie Keppenne, Judith Kronschnabel, John Lee Holmes
Moderator: James Wagner		 Heidi Guyer, Nick Bertoni, Robin Gentry, Martha McRoy
Moderator: Jill DeMatteis
Intro Intro
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)
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
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
Paper #21: Developing a Cost & Budgeting System: From Client to Field Measurement Paper #25: Incentivized Mode Choice Experiments in a Multimode Survey: Results from the Healthy Illinois Survey
Discussion Discussion
11:30 am – 1:00 pm Concurrent Sessions: Papers #5  
Paper Session #5A: New Methods Paper Session #5B: Cost Estimation Problems
Logan Brinzel, Randal ZuWallack, Taylor Lewis
Moderator: Kristen Olson		 Miranda Kaye, Summer Gillen, James Wagner, Caroline Lancaster
Moderator: Jill DeMatteis
Intro Intro
Paper #27: Costing Immunization Coverage Survey Methodologies in Lower Income Countries Paper #30: Are There Hidden Costs Associated with Design Decisions?
Paper #28: Leveraging Complementary Strengths of ABS and RDD in the IM² Survey Design Paper #31: Don’t Forget the Weather Report: A Discussion of the Impact of Exogenous Factors on Research Costs
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 #32: Estimating Cost Savings from Applying a Stopping Rule in a Face-to-Face Survey
Discussion Paper #33: Case-Level Effort as a Measure of Survey Costs in a Multi-Mode Survey
Discussion
Paper Session #5C: Case Studies Paper Session #5D: New Methods
Chuck Shuttles, Kyle Endres, Amanda Ferrara
Moderator: Stephanie Coffey
 Elizabeth Eisenhauer, Justin Baer, Jablonski Wojtek
Moderator: Daifeng Han
Intro Intro
Paper #11: Habit #1 of Highly Effective Survey Cost Managers: Be Proactive [in Cost & Schedule Monitoring] Paper #34: Sample Size Determination in Survey Design: Balancing Cost, Precision, and Bias
Paper #12: Approaches to Offset Rising Postage Costs? Paper #35: How Probability-Based Panels Can Transform Federal Evidence Building
Paper #13: Changes in Methodology, Costs per Complete, and Response Rates Over a 5-Year Statewide Dual-Frame Random Digit Dial Project Paper #26: Improving Survey Quality While Cutting Costs: ESHPM’s Panel Initiative
Discussion Discussion
1:00 – 2:00 pm Lunch  
2:00 – 2:30 pm Guided Small Group Discussion: Main Findings & Next Steps  
2:30 – 3:00 pm Reconvene/Wrap Up & Close