AAPOR 2026 Conference Blog: Wednesday
05/14/2026
Thank you to Ellen Hickman for her reflection on the first day of the Annual Conference.
Dear AAPOR,
My reflections of the first day of the AAPOR 81st Annual Conference begin not at the beginning, but at the middle. From attending the mid-day Plenary Session, moderated by past president, Frauke Kreuter, I learned that truth is a multifaceted, moving target that we, as AAPORites, are trying to capture, model, or predict—and which can be further obscured, or revealed, by recent AI transformations.
Now framed with the quest for truth, I return to the beginning of the day. The first session I attended demonstrated how fieldwork advancements push the limit of who’s included in the data (or training data, in that matter). Arina Goyle [SRSS] presented that even though data quality was maintained, response rates suffered by refugees’ language and education level from CATI to web modes—concluding that to interview refugees, “web mode is feasible, but not as a standalone for CATI.” To complement, Stephanie Morales [University of Michigan] found that data linkage rates were significantly lower for non-Hispanic Black respondents, across both biomarker and social security requests. I look forward to more fieldwork discussions like these that focus on reducing representation bias.
Following, the second session gave me insight in AAPOR’s methodical applications to global contexts (e.g., Global Guidelines in Polling and the Global Report on Important Topics). To note, Daniel Montalvo [Vanderbilt University] shared a compelling methods paper on the use of adaptive cluster sampling to draw a probabilistic sample of Venezuelan migrant populations in neighboring countries, much like how biological researchers sample rare and clustered plants. Furthermore, the newest Global Research Affinity Group, announced by Arundati Dandapani [Generation1.ca], has me looking forward to bridging global members and methods!
Yet, perhaps the best takeaways were found at the end of the day with Scott Keeter [Pew Research Center] in discussing the Plenary discourse and what it means to be an AAPOR leader. When asked to name one methodological transformation that shocked the industry, Scott listed the following: the demise of telephone surveys, the computerization of sampling lists, the adoption of cell phones, and the rise of non-probability samples—all which have been “studied and responded to” through AAPOR’s methodological refinement thus far. I also asked what made leaders memorable, and Scott thoughtfully replied, “Peter Miller (2009–2010 AAPOR President) did a lot for the association. He was a very effective leader and left us with the concrete innovation of the Transparency Initiative.”
Since it was difficult to resolve any disputes over standards, Peter Miller brought forth that regardless of what standards were used, transparency builds trust. Scott’s reflections illustrate that AAPOR’s methods and transparency commitments will serve as the ultimate guide in the quest for truth (through any AI transformations, or otherwise, to come).
Yours truly,
Ellen Hickman
1st year AAPORite