Meetings and events

Information about SDC-Net meetings and events is available below, including slides and presentations.

2023

Decisions, decisions, decisions: Survey commissioning in a multi-source, multi-mode world (final meeting: 22 March)

Survey commissioners need to consider various trade-offs with regard to cost, accuracy, timeliness, inclusivity, granularity, etc when deciding on the design of a survey, but also the use of ‘new’ technologies and alternative data sources alongside or instead of surveys. We also want to explore what information survey commissioners need from suppliers, researchers and/or methodologists to be able to make informed decisions about the commissioning and design of surveys. The event is being run by an invited panel that led the discussion, followed by an opportunity for the audience to ask questions to the panel.

The panel discussion is being chaired by Gerry Nicolaas, Director of the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen). Panel members include:

1. Mike Daly (Department for Work and Pensions)
2. Michael Dale (Department for Education)
3. Ally McAlpine (Scottish Government)
4. Martina Portanti (Office for National Statistics)
5. Andrew Spiers (Sport England)

Watch a video of the meeting

2022

Future demand for face-to-face fieldwork: How shall the survey industry respond? (10 October)

• View agenda
• See presentation "Transitioning into the new world of face to face data collection" (Sophie Ainsby, Maria Luther, Steve Woodland)
• See presentation "ONS's Response to the Changing Survey Landscape" (Tina Thomas)
• See presentation "Current ESRC-funded population surveys with face-to-face data collection" (Catherine Bromley)

Mind the Gap: Survey Statistics in Practice (13 September)

SDC-Net ran two sessions at MethodsCon, which took place in September 2022, on survey statistics in practice. The interactive seminar, Mind the Gap: Survey Statistics in Practice, was aimed at survey statisticians in academia, government departments, survey agencies and other research institutes.

The purpose of the session was to specify the challenges currently facing survey statisticians amid the increasing complexity of surveys, and the skills that need to be developed and strengthened in order to address these challenges. The outcome of the session was proposal on how to progress on these issues: e.g. setting up a community of practice, developing proposals for further research, development of guidelines or best practice, capacity building.

Future of face-to-face data collection - developing and implementing a revised f2f strategy (5 July)

• View agenda
• See presentation "Challenges to Face-to- Face Data Collection" (Dr Alex Lambert)
• See presentation "Back in the field after Covid-19: What’s changed and how data collection is evolving" (Debrah Harding)
• See presentation "Face to face: returning to a ‘new’ world What impact" (Sophie Ainsby, Maria Luther and Michelle Lewis)

Survey Data Quality – Finding a New Normal? (4 May)

• View agenda

Innovations in Survey Data Collection (2 February)

• View agenda
• See presentation "Video interviewing at Round 10 of the European Social Survey" (Tim Hanson)
• See presentation "Adapting to the times - conducting video interviews in NCDS and BCS70" (Matt Brown)
• See presentation "ESS Electronic Questionnaire Device" (Professor Rory Fitzgerald)
• See presentation "What is knock-to-nudge and does it have a future?" (Patten Smith)

2021

• First meeting of Survey Data Collection Network (8 December)
• Initial meetings (July and September)