University of Wisconsin Survey Center

Hello, this is [NAME] calling from the University of Wisconsin Survey Center. Will you be our statistically significant other?

Call me!

📣NOW HIRING: SURVEY RESEARCH DEVELOPER📣
https://jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/survey-research-developer-madison-wisconsin-united-states-cf91609e-3d08-496a-b6b9-6ea229e48e73

Since its founding in 1987 the University of Wisconsin Survey Center (UWSC) has grown into one of the largest academic survey research centers in the U.S. UWSC is seeking survey research developers who are skilled in web development, database administration, and information security. Previous experience in social science data collection is a plus. While ASP.NET, C #, CASES, Docker, JavaScript, MongoDB, MS-Access, MySQL, Node.js, Perl, PHP, Python, R, and VB.NET are all used regularly, experience with MySQL, MS-Access, PHP, and VB.NET is most valuable in this position. On-the-job training will be provided for CASES, UWSC's primary data collection software.

Studies conducted at the UWSC range from small web surveys to multimillion-dollar longitudinal projects. The UWSC IT group prides itself on developing data collection and data management solutions that support the needs of UWSC's research partners. These data are collected in-person, through the mail, over the web, and over the phone.

This position works closely with UWSC staff in multiple departments to create, implement, and support data collection, data management, and reporting tools as necessary. Some of this work would be done using existing UWSC software. Other work might require the development and implementation of new solutions to meet the needs of new projects. As social science data collection needs grow more complex there is room for innovation in this role to meet those needs.

The UWSC is a workplace with a collaborative, welcoming, and supportive environment. It has a positive culture that welcomes input and embraces change. If you value collaboration, innovation, and the pride that comes from doing high-quality work in an academic environment, apply today!

A University of Wisconsin Survey Center poll conducted in the weeks before the Nov. 5 election correctly projected the outcomes of a city of Madison referendum and two Madison school district ballot measures — from the narrowest margin of victory to the widest.

Cap Times: UW survey made correct call on all three Madison referendums A University of Wisconsin Survey Center poll conducted in the weeks before the Nov. 5 election correctly projected the outcomes of a city of Madison referendum and two Madison school district ballot measures — from the narrowest margin of victory to the widest.

Check out this article by Jessica Maki and Michael W. Wagner in The Cap Times using data from WisconSays on what Wisconsinites want:

Opinion | Wisconsinites want a focus on state and local issues Badger State voters don't want to be grouped into niches defined by national politics. They want their legislators to focus on problems, and to listen.

📣What Says Wisconsin?📣

Recent WisconSays survey results show Wisconsinites' beliefs about problems facing the state vary substantially by political party. While 75% of Democrats believe climate change and abortion rights are “quite a problem” or “an extremely big problem,” only 18% and 30% of Republicans share those views, respectively. In contrast, 53% of Republicans believe immigration is a big problem, compared to only 12% of Democrats.

Source: Survey of Wisconsin adults conducted as part of WisconSays between June 27, 2024 and July 27, 2024. Issues ordered based on the magnitude of difference across parties. Results are based on 2,310 respondents and weighted to represent the target population. Question wording: “How much of a problem are each of the following issues facing the state of Wisconsin today?”

Congratulations to our very own Jennifer Dykema on her 2024-25 H.I. Romnes Fellowship Award!

Thirteen faculty have been honored with the H.I. Romnes Fellowships to recognize faculty with exceptional research contributions within their first six years from promotion to a tenured position. The award is named in recognition of the late WARF trustees president H.I. Romnes and comes with $60,000 that may be spent over five years.

Jennifer Dykema, associate professor of sociology and faculty director of the University of Wisconsin Survey Center, conducts research on topics related to survey methodology including questionnaire design, methods to increase response rates, and interviewer-respondent interaction. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on these topics at UW–Madison and the University of Michigan.

Congratulations, Jen! We are fortunate to experience your hard work and dedication to research every day at the UWSC!

Full list of award-winners: https://research.wisc.edu/featured-news/2024/07/26/faculty-receive-2024-25-warf-named-professorships-kellett-fellowships-and-romnes-awards/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=wordpress_insideuw&utm_campaign=facstaff_comms&utm_content=2024_07_30

The WLS team recently announced the rollout of a new online portal that is designed to enhance the data exploration and analysis experience for researchers and data users. The new platform is based on the Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) Lifecycle metadata standard, an international standard for describing survey data. The updated portal supports integrated documentation of longitudinal datasets like the WLS, and will replace the study’s older system of online codebooks, offering richly-described metadata, summary statistics, and data visualizations for all 27,000 WLS variables. Access to datasets, instruments, and supporting documents continues to be available on the main WLS website.

In June of 2023, the Supreme Court voted to disband the use of race in college admissions. About half of American adults disapprove of considering race and ethnicity in college admissions, with opinions varying considerably by party identification (PEW 2023). Results from a recent WisconSays (www.wisconsays.wisc.edu) survey show attitudes are similar among Wisconsin adults: 47% oppose affirmative action in college admissions, 31% support it, and 22% say they don’t know. These results, however, vary substantially by political party.

Read the full PEW article here: https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/06/08/more-americans-disapprove-than-approve-of-colleges-considering-race-ethnicity-in-admissions-decisions/

UWSC clients lead the way on Alzheimer’s Research -- Read more below

175th Special Edition: Leading the Way on Alzheimer’s Research | Wisconsin Alumni Association Since 2001, UW–Madison has done significant research on Alzheimer’s, a disease for which there is no cure. In that time, nearly two thousand people have taken part in a groundbreaking study that has set the foundation for current and future research. This year, the University of Wisconsin School...

HAPPENING TODAY!
UWSC’s Nadia Assad will be presenting a poster on ‘Measuring the Pulse of Wisconsin: Developing a State-Based Probability Panel of Wisconsin Residents for Ongoing Surveys’ at Showcase 2024 from 10 AM to 12 PM at Union South Varsity Hall. Come say “hi” and learn more about WisconSays!

We are pleased to announce that Karen Zoladz has accepted a position as the new UWSC Director of Project Management!

You may be thinking wait, didn’t you tell us this already? And yes, we announced in June that Karen was appointed as the Interim DPM, pending a search process for the formal position vacancy as I moved into my new role as Associate Director. That process has now been completed, conducted by a hiring committee made up of our IT Director, Eric White, our Field Director, Steve Coombs, and myself. The committee unanimously selected Karen as UWSC’s next Director of Project Management, where she will oversee hiring, training, and workflow of our team of 16 Project Directors. She will also act as a liaison between project direction and other departments.

Karen will continue to manage the MIDUS and Elevate surveys in addition to many of her other project directing duties. During her nearly 6 months in the interim role, Karen has approached her new duties with energy and enthusiasm, and is already showing great initiative and creativity in the role. After nearly 15 years as a UWSC project director, Karen has a clear understanding of the work styles, goals, and challenges of the project directing team, and we know she will do an excellent job supporting and growing that team. Please join me in welcoming Karen to her new role as Director of Project Management!

Congrats, Karen! 👏

This week, Jacob Boelter joins the UW Survey Center team as a Project Director. He was previously working for UWSC and The Institute of Research on Poverty as a graduate assistant, where he was integral to the recruitment, completion, and analysis of cognitive interviews. He also recently completed his Master of Public Affairs degree at the La Follette School of Public Affairs.

We are so pleased to have Jacob full-time and add his qualitative research and analysis experience to our growing UWSC team! Welcome!