IFD&TC: Upcoming Conference
Save the date! Our 2026 conference will be in Providence, RI, from Sunday, April 19 through Tuesday, April 21.
We’ll hold a welcome reception on Sunday evening, followed by two full days of conference sessions on Monday and Tuesday. The conference will be held in the Omni Providence Hotel. More site details will be shared in the future.
Time/Date
9:00am-10:15am on Tuesday, 4/29/2025
Facilitator
Laura B. Hergert, U.S. Census Bureau
This data visualization workshop will focus on techniques for visualizing survey data, offering practical insights for analysts, data scientists, and researchers who work with survey datasets. The session will demonstrate best practices and advanced techniques using a public survey dataset. Participants will learn how to create dynamic dashboard and tips for visualizing complex survey metrics such as cross-tabulations, custom color schemes and interactive filters. With live demo, they will also learn how to leverage Tableau's tools to tell data-driven stories, turning abstract numbers into compelling visuals.
Time/Date
9:00am-10:15am on Tuesday, 4/29/2025
Facilitator
TBA
The presentations in this session cover the developments in study management structures, pilot program designed to support and facilitate collaboration amongst field staff and call management software integrated with REDCap to engage a growing phone team.
Time/Date
2:45pm-4:00pm on Sunday, 5/24/2020
Facilitator
TBA
Time/Date
2:45pm-4:00pm on Sunday, 5/24/2020
Facilitator
TBA
Time/Date
2:45pm-4:00pm on Sunday, 5/24/2020
Facilitator
TBA
Time/Date
3:15pm-4:30pm on Tuesday, 4/29/2025
Facilitator
TBA
These presentations will discuss some of the many challenges of collecting data within school systems and the steps taken to mitigate them.
Time/Date
1:30pm-2:45pm on Tuesday, 4/29/2025
Facilitator
TBA
This session explores advancements in AI-driven software development with Microsoft Copilot, survey data collection optimization through the Census Bureau's redesigned Contact History Instrument, and the integration of wearable technology for research studies, highlighting innovations in automation, field operations, and data management.
Time/Date
1:30pm-2:45pm on Tuesday, 4/29/2025
Facilitator
TBA
This session focuses on respondent behavior in a multimode survey, sending verification letters to respondents, CATI prompts to web surveys and electronics surveys by email.
Time/Date
1:30pm-2:45pm on Tuesday, 4/29/2025
Facilitator
TBA
The presentations in this session cover keeping the participants engaged in business survey panels, retaining patients in clinical trials, motivations behind respondents continuing to participate in spin off studies, and efforts to build sample member engagement.
Time/Date
1:30pm-2:45pm on Tuesday, 4/29/2025
Facilitators
Miranda Guardiola, RTI International
Jane Griffin, RTI International
This round table will delve into the innovative approaches adopted by the data collection staff at RTI to tackle the prevalent issues of survey fatigue and respondent skepticism. These challenges have become increasingly significant in the field of survey research, where maintaining high response rates is crucial for the validity and reliability of the data collected. This has been addressed by using a multi-mode contacting strategy to improve outreach and response rates.
Time/Date
10:45am-12:00pm on Tuesday, 4/29/2025
Facilitator
TBA
These presentations will look at pre and post COVID hiring practices and discuss how to retain and motivate staff moving forward.
Time/Date
10:45am-12:00pm on Tuesday, 4/29/2025
Facilitator
TBA
These presentations cover how survey research involves navigating institutional refusals with personalized strategies, mitigating broken access control and security vulnerabilities, transitioning from pilot studies to complex data collection platforms, and addressing programming limitations when using survey software like Voxco.
Time/Date
10:45am-12:00pm on Tuesday, 4/29/2025
Facilitator
TBA
PENDING
Time/Date
4:45pm-5:45pm on Monday, 4/28/2025
Facilitator
Kevin Tharp, Indiana University Center for Survey Research
The Business Meeting is where we discuss the future of the IFD&TC, elect new organizers, and learn about the location of future conferences. Everyone is encouraged to attend; we welcome participation from first year-attendees too! Hear from your 2025 conference organizers:
Time/Date
3:15pm-4:30pm on Monday, 4/28/2025
Facilitator
TBA
This panel focuses on best practices, lessons learned, and optimal methods that can improve virtual interviewer training, which has become the "go to" method since the emergence of COVID-19.
Time/Date
1:30pm-2:45pm on Monday, 4/28/2025
Facilitator
TBA
These presentations include exploring diverse approaches to improving data collection, from leveraging text messaging and thermal imaging in surveys, to emphasizing interviewer training and modernizing field operating systems to optimize efficiency and data quality.
Time/Date
1:30pm-2:45pm on Monday, 4/28/2025
Facilitators
Amir Karshenas, RTI International
Chris Griggs, RTI International
This round table discussion will include a case study that proposes a comprehensive technical debt framework aimed at effectively managing these challenges and improving the overall quality and maintainability of software systems. This will also include a demo of how to create this framework considering the challenges that face both small and large organizations when developing systems for long-term data collection and analysis.
Time/Date
1:30pm-2:45pm on Monday, 4/28/2025
Facilitator
TBA
These presentation focus on building, improving and learning effective strategies for virtual training.
Time/Date
10:45am-12:00pm on Monday, 4/28/2025
Facilitator
TBA
These presentations address the following :
With the rise in telephone scams and robocalls it is increasingly difficult to make contact with respondents. Smart call screeners make contact with respondents increasingly difficult. In addition, performance testing for web surveys improves respondent satisfaction, especially when reaching them by phone is more difficult.
Time/Date
10:45am-12:00pm on Monday, 4/28/2025
Facilitator
TBA
These presentations focus on Survey methodology, which is undergoing rapid change to improve tourism data in the United Kingdom, fish and wildlife data in Wyoming, increased use of adaptive design to minimize nonresponse bias, and the pivot to video as a replacement for in-person interviews.
Time/Date
9:00am-10:15am on Monday, 4/28/2025
Facilitator
Tim Olson, U.S. Census Bureau
Dr. Ron Jarmin
Deputy Director of the U.S. Census Bureau
Time/Date
10:45am-12:00pm on Monday, 4/28/2025
Facilitator
TBA
These presentations cover topics related to dual-postcard strategy, envelope type, size and logo experiments on surveys.
Time/Date
10:45am-12:00pm on Monday, 4/28/2025
Facilitator
Steve Gomori, RTI International
Topics for this round table discussion include overview of AI and ML, common use cases across various industries, optimize operations and potential pitfalls with implementation.
Time/Date
10:15am-11:15am on Wednesday, 6/28/2023
Location
Bixby 1, 2 & 3
Facilitator
TBA
Join us for this interactive session as we put our heads together to solve your survey problems. All conference attendees will be able to anonymously submit a problem they are facing in advance. Session attendees will be divided into groups and asked to deliberate on these problems and present their solutions. We'll also include some special surprises along the way!
Submit your problem: https://go.iu.edu/4OcY
Time/Date
9:45am-10:15am on Wednesday, 6/28/2023
Location
Outside Bixby 1, 2 & 3
Refreshments served
Time/Date
8:30am-9:45am on Wednesday, 6/28/2023
Location
Nieto
Facilitator
TBA
During this roundtable discussion, small shops are invited to share the tools and tech that aide in their own operations, while also learning about new tools and tech used by other shops.
Time/Date
8:30am-9:45am on Wednesday, 6/28/2023
Location
Broadlind Ballroom
Facilitator
TBA
Presenters will share valuable insights regarding the use of mail for increasing response rates, creating strong first impressions, dealing with nonresponse, and facilitating quality assurance.
Time/Date
8:30am-9:45am on Wednesday, 6/28/2023
Location
Wilmore
Facilitator
TBA
Attendees will discuss the challenges and successes of building a statewide probability panel
Time/Date
8:30am-9:45am on Wednesday, 6/28/2023
Location
Pike 3
Facilitator
TBA
Presenters will discuss strategies to increase response rates and address nonresponse. Topics addressed will include contact strategies using email, using interactive tracing, GPS coordinate gathering, and CAWI instrument techniques to supplement CATI, and obstacles to respondent participation in web-based surveys.
Time/Date
7:00am-8:30am on Wednesday, 6/28/2023
Location
Bixby 4 & 5
Buffet breakfast served
Time/Date
4:45pm-6:00pm on Tuesday, 4/29/2025
Facilitator
TBA
Time/Date
3:15pm-4:30pm on Tuesday, 4/29/2025
Facilitators
Kenneth Pick, U.S. Energy Information Administration
Rachelle Reeder, U.S. Energy Information Administration
Benjamin Messer, U.S. Energy Information Administration
The roundtable session aims to showcase real-world applications of AI and encourage discussion on leveraging these advancements to streamline survey methodologies. The session explores how artificial intelligence (AI) can optimize operational efficiencies in survey data collection and processing. It discusses AI-driven automation for tasks such as data coding, intelligent respondent targeting, chatbot-assisted interviewing, and real-time analytics to enhance data quality and reduce costs.
Time/Date
3:15pm-4:30pm on Tuesday, 4/29/2025
Facilitator
TBA
This session explores new ways that researchers are testing their boundaries, intercepting hard to reach populations, and improving their protocols to adapt to new crises.
Time/Date
3:15pm-4:30pm on Tuesday, 4/29/2025
Facilitator
TBA
This panel focuses on best practices that three different survey organizations use when training interviewers to interact with respondents from different cultures and speak different languages. Experts will discuss survey introductions, social hierarchy, probes, providing respondent feedback, and addressing refusals and concerns.
Time/Date
2:45pm-3:15pm on Tuesday, 4/29/2025
Refreshments served
Time/Date
12:00pm-1:00pm on Tuesday, 4/29/2025
Attendees are seated at randomly-assigned tables, as listed on your name tag. RDD lunch is a fun way to meet and get to know other attendees!
Time/Date
10:15am-10:45am on Tuesday, 4/29/2025
Refreshments served
Time/Date
7:30am-9:00am on Tuesday, 4/29/2025
Buffet breakfast served
Time/Date
3:15pm-4:30pm on Monday, 4/28/2025
Facilitator
TBA
These presentations explore strategies for improving the efficiency and security of survey research, from optimizing interviewer travel routes and addressing access control vulnerabilities, to implementing secure password reset functions and ensuring reliable email deliverability, demonstrating methods for enhancing data collection and respondent engagement.
Time/Date
3:15pm-4:30pm on Monday, 4/28/2025
Facilitator
TBA
These presentations review a number of case studies on the impact of incentives on response rates in the UK, Washington DC, and South Carolina.
Time/Date
2:45pm-3:15pm on Monday, 4/28/2025
Refreshments served
Time/Date
12:00pm-1:00pm on Monday, 4/28/2025
Attendees are seated at randomly-assigned tables, as listed on your name tag. RDD lunch is a fun way to meet and get to know other attendees!
Time/Date
10:15am-10:45am on Monday, 4/28/2025
Refreshments served
Time/Date
8:00am-8:30am on Monday, 4/28/2025
Facilitator
TBA
All attendees facilitating a session at the conference are asked to attend a half hour breakfast meeting to go over guidelines and answer questions. If you've been a facilitator before, please come share your experiences with newer facilitators. If this is your first time, join us to meet others, and learn more about how facilitating works at IFD&TC.
Time/Date
8:00am-9:00am on Monday, 4/28/2025
If you arrived late to the conference, you can check in at the IFD&TC registration table.
Time/Date
7:30am-9:00am on Monday, 4/28/2025
Buffet breakfast served
Time/Date
4:30pm-6:00pm on Sunday, 4/27/2025
IFD&TC organizers welcome you to the conference.
Please join us for a happy hour reception featuring light snacks, a cash bar, and an informal time to visit with old and new friends. Dinner on your own after the reception.Time/Date
12:00pm-4:30pm on Sunday, 4/27/2025
Stop by the IFD&TC registration table to pick up your conference materials. Late check-in is also available Monday morning before the Keynote.
