The Social Research Centre, in collaboration with the Statistical Society of Australia, is proud to sponsor this unique opportunity to learn from one of the world’s most respected experts in survey methodology, social psychology, and political science.
Since the beginning of quantitative social science, a great deal of research has been done using questionnaires. The structuring, wording, and ordering of questions have traditionally been viewed as an art, not a science, best guided by intuition. But in recent years, it has become clear that this is an antiquated and even dangerous view that does not reflect the accumulation of knowledge throughout the social sciences about effective question-asking.
Intuition often leads us astray in the questionnaire design field, as becomes clear when putting intuitions to the test via scientific evaluation. A large body of relevant scientific studies has now accumulated, and when taken together, the findings point to a series of formal rules for how best to design questions. Yet the vast majority of contemporary questionnaire design fails to follow these rules, because they are not yet widely understood.
During the past 25 years, Jon Krosnick has discovered the emergence of general principles of optimal questionnaire design that are often at variance with common practices in questionnaire construction. In many cases, these departures in practice have reduced the accuracy of collected data, even though other question forms could easily have been employed instead that would have avoided bias and improved precision of measurement.
Goals of the workshop
The workshop would serve many purposes. First and foremost, it would educate participants about the optimal techniques for questionnaire design, for guarding against measurement artifacts, and for analyzing data in order to overcome the biasing impact of such artifacts. And because the huge accumulated literature on questionnaire design does not provide guidance to researchers about how to handle every decision they will face, the second and equally important goal of the workshop is to teach participants a new way of thinking about questionnaire design, rooted in psychology.
The aim is to get researchers into the heads of their respondents in a way that few have done before. By gaining insight into how respondents approach their tasks of interpreting questions, searching their memories for information, integrating that information into judgments, and expressing those judgments in words, workshop participants will begin to develop skills that will help them to mange design issues for which there are not yet formal rules.
Workshop Topics
- 1. Introduction: The Survey Response Process
- 3. Formatting and structuring questions
- 4. Wording and ordering of questions and response frames
- 5. Other considerations in questionnaire design
- 6. Summary and conclusions
Bio-Jon A. Krosnick, Professor of Communication, Political Science, Sustainability, and Psychology Stanford University
Winner of the lifetime career achievement award from the American Association for Public Opinion Research and the Nevitt Sanford Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society of Political Psychology, Jon Krosnick is Frederick O. Glover Professor in Humanities and Social Sciences, and Professor of Communication, Political Science, Sustainability, and Psychology at Stanford University, Director of Stanford’s Political Psychology Research Group, and Research Psychologist at the U.S. Census Bureau.
He has expertise in questionnaire design and survey research methodology, voting behaviour and elections, and American public opinion. He has taught courses for professionals on survey methods for decades around the world and has served as a methodology consultant to government agencies, commercial firms, and academic scholars. He is a world-recognized expert on the psychology of attitudes, especially in the area of politics and has been co-principal investigator of the American National Election Study, the nation's preeminent academic research project exploring voter decision-making.
Target Audience
1. Statisticians and Data Analysts
- Professionals working on survey design, data analysis, and improving measurement accuracy.
2. Researchers and Academics
- Experts in psychology, social sciences, or survey methodology.
- University researchers and graduate students focused on surveys and data collection.
3. Industry Professionals
- Market researchers, consultants, and corporate professionals.
- Individuals from government, non-profits, or private sectors utilising survey data.
4. Students and Early Career Professionals
- Those seeking to develop skills in survey design and measurement techniques.
Cancellation Policy
Occasionally courses have to be cancelled due to a lack of subscription. Early registration ensures that this will not happen.
Cancellations received prior to two weeks before the event will be refunded, minus the Stripe processing fee (1.75% + $0.30 per transaction) and an SSA administration fee of $20.
From then onward no part of the registration fee will be refunded. However, registrations are transferable within the same organisation. Please advise any changes to events@statsoc.org.au.
For any questions, please email events@statsoc.org.au.
@StatSocAus
