New publication by team that includes UWSC researchers describes how they adapted to the challenges of COVID-19 to recruit hard-to-reach population

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced challenges for conducting research, particularly for studies that use community-based sample generation strategies to recruit hard-to-reach populations. In a recently published “In-Brief Note” in the AAPOR online journal Survey Practice, UWSC staff members Graduate Assistant Jacob Boelter and Senior Project Director Ken Croes teamed up with University of Wisconsin–Madison Institute for Research on Poverty Research Scientist Lisa Klein Vogel and University of Wisconsin–Madison Sociology Doctoral Candidate Alexis M. Dennis to describe how they adapted their studies’ recruitment strategies to accommodate the manifold effects of social distancing of COVID-19.

University of Chicago Chapin Hall releases new site exploring data of the UWSC-administered Midwest Young Adult (MYA) Study

Longtime UWSC client, Dr. Mark Courtney, with the University of Chicago Chapin Hall has released a new site exploring the data collected from the Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth, also known as the Midwest Young Adult (MYA) Study while it was administered by the UWSC in the early 2000s.

Cold, Hard E-Cash: Distributing Survey Participation Incentives through Mobile Pay Applications

In recent years, the rising popularity of online surveys has led to a new set of challenges for survey researchers, particularly as it concerns the distribution of survey participation incentives. Traditionally, respondents receive monetary incentives via direct mail in the form of cash or check, but this approach poses a problem for members of online samples, whose residential addresses may not be available.

New study indicates poor health — not aging itself — decreases older Americans’ likelihood of voting

University of Wisconsin–Madison sociology professor Michal Engelman led the study, published Oct. 15 in the Journals of Gerontology: Series B, along with sociology graduate student Won-tak Joo, sociology Professor Jason Fletcher and political science Professor Barry Burden.

The study uses data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, which Engelman directs. The WLS has followed more than 10,000 Wisconsin high school graduates since 1957, surveying them about once a decade. In addition to the original participants, the survey has interviewed their siblings and spouses and includes detailed data on wealth, physical and mental health, and a range of social activities.

New Research from UWSC Client Jenny Higgins and UW CORE on Abortion Health Care Access

Findings from a UW CORE study on how doctors view access to abortion will appear in the December issue of the American Journal of Public Health. With the help of the University of Wisconsin Survey Center (UWSC), the team sent 1,357 surveys to doctors in all specialties and received 913 responses between February and May 2019.

UWSC Senior Project Ken Croes to Co-Present “Conducting Focus Group Research or Stakeholder Activities in the New Virtual World”

UWSC Senior Project Director Ken Croes and Gay Thomas, Director of Stakeholder Engagement with the Wisconsin Network for Research Support, will co-present about online research practices at an upcoming event of the University of Wisconsin Institute for Clinical and Translational Research Community-Academic Partnership Education Program.