WERA1010: Improving Data Quality from Sample Surveys to foster Agricultural and Community Development in Rural America

(Multistate Research Coordinating Committee and Information Exchange Group)

Status: Active

Project Menu

SAES-422 Reports

Annual/Termination Reports:

[08/21/2024] [04/04/2025] [03/30/2026]

Date of Annual Report: 08/21/2024

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 02/14/2024 - 09/30/2029
Period the Report Covers: 02/14/2024 - 02/16/2024

Participants

Katherine Dentzman; Iowa State University
Kenneth Wallen; University of Idaho
Katherine Walsh; Cornell University
Anil Chaudhary; Penn State University
Melissa Constantine; Evidera
Jessica Goldberger; Washington State University
Abbey Hammell; University of Minnesota
Glenn Israel; University of Florida
Ginny Lesser: Oregon State University
Katie McLaughlin; Oregon State University
Todd Rockwood; University of Minnesota
Jessica Schad; Utah State University
Zhengyuan Zhu; Iowa State University
Samuel Mindes; Iowa State University
Joseph Hollis; Iowa State University
Anaka Aiyar; University of Vermont

Brief Summary of Minutes

Accomplishments

Short-term Outcomes: Short term outcomes from the project include direct feedback to project participants on the design of surveys for research and Extension purposes, as well as an increased capacity to design and implement effective survey procedures with rural and agricultural stakeholders. Every year at our annual meeting, participants bring current surveys they want feedback on, existing research on survey methodology, and proposals for future research. All are met with a wealth of advice that directly improves survey quality and efficacy, resulting in cost savings and higher quality data.    Outputs: Outputs include, primarily, higher quality surveys and the results of survey experiments. Sometimes, specifics about the survey experiments is included in publications. For instance, in this reporting period, several members reported on the below publication:  Wallen, K. E., Hammell, A. E., & Dentzman, K. E. (2021). Exploratory diary study of survey request frequency among research professionals. Completed as a project for WERA 1010: Improving Data Quality from Sample Surveys to foster Agricultural and Community Development in Rural America. SocArXiv. <a class="Hyperlink SCXW29517887 BCX0" href="http://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/mrebz" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">http://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/mrebz</a>  Other recent publications and presentations associated with the project include: Greenberg, P., & Dillman, D. A. 2023. Mail Communications and Survey Response: A Test of Social Exchange Versus Pre-Suasion Theory for Improving Response Rates and Data Quality. Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology, 11, 1–22    Israel, G. D. When Does Support from Organizational Leaders Improve Survey Response Rates? Studies Comparing of Three Protocols. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Rural Sociological Society, Westminster, Colorado, August 2022.  Schad, Jessica; Braddock, Sadie; and Lancaster, Cole, "2023 Utah People & Environment Poll Descriptive Report" (2023). CANRI Projects. Paper 2. <a class="Hyperlink SCXW30374796 BCX0" href="https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/canri_projects/2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/canri_projects/2</a>    Ulrich-Schad, Jessica D., Shuang Li, J. G. Arbuckle, Edem Avemegah, Kathryn J. Brasier,Morey Burnham, Anil Kumar Chaudhary, Weston M. Eaton, Wei Gu, Tonya Haigh, Douglas Jackson-Smith, Alexander L. Metcalf, Amit Pradhananga, Linda S. Prokopy, Matthew Sanderson, Emma Wade, & Adam Wilke. 2022. “An Inventory and Assessment of Sample Sources for Survey Research with Agricultural Producers in the U.S.” Society and Natural Resources 35(7): 804-812.  Ulrich-Schad, Jessica D., Jennifer E. Givens, and Mitchell Beacham.  2022. “Preventive Behaviors Along the Rural-Urban Continuum in Utah During the COVID-19 Pandemic.”  Journal of Rural Social Science Special Issue on Space, Place, and COVID-19 37(2):4.  Zhu, T., L. Xue, V.M.Lesser.  Improved population parameter estimation by integrating probability and nonprobability sampling.  To be presented at the American Statistical Association Meetings, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, August, 2023.  Activities: The annual meeting of the team is our main activity, during which advice is given, priorities discussed, research presented, etc. We also, in the past year, have worked together as a group to conduct a survey diary experiment during which team members recorded all survey requests received over a 2 week period (being a follow-up to a similar study we conducted in 2019). Team members also conduct their own individual survey methodology research and experiments throughout the year, reporting on the results during the annual meeting. These experiments have included incentives such as offering a topical sticker (Jessica Schad, Utah State), testing the differences between probability and non-probability samples (Ginny Lesser, Oregon State), experimenting with network recruiting for sensitive populations (Katie McLaughlin, Oregon State), and more.  Milestones: Major milestones for this project include the attraction and retention of new members; we had 2 new member universities and high attendance at our annual meeting, with several other new member universities signing on for 2025.

Publications

*Note--because the meeting occurs in February, I have included the publications from the year prior to that meeting. 2024 isn't over yet, so I hope this is sufficient! Please let me know if not.    Greenberg, P., & Dillman, D. A. 2023. Mail Communications and Survey Response: A Test of Social Exchange Versus Pre-Suasion Theory for Improving Response Rates and Data Quality. Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology, 11, 1–22  Schad, Jessica; Braddock, Sadie; and Lancaster, Cole, "2023 Utah People & Environment Poll Descriptive Report" (2023). CANRI Projects. Paper 2. <a class="Hyperlink SCXW53237423 BCX0" href="https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/canri_projects/2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/canri_projects/2</a>    Zhu, T., L. Xue, V.M.Lesser.  Improved population parameter estimation by integrating probability and nonprobability sampling.  To be presented at the American Statistical Association Meetings, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, August, 2023.

Impact Statements

This project provides direct feedback to project participants on the design of surveys for research and Extension purposes, as well as an increased capacity to design and implement effective survey procedures with rural and agricultural stakeholders.
This project increases response rates, improves data quality, and reduces the cost of conducting effective surveys
This project pushes the body of survey methodology knowledge further, improving capacity to conduct academic and other survey types

Date of Annual Report: 04/04/2025

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 02/20/2025 - 02/21/2025
Period the Report Covers: 02/19/2024 - 02/21/2025

Participants

Anaka Aiyar, University of Vermont, Anaka.Aiyar@uvm.edu
Jessica Goldberger, Washington State University, jgoldberger@wsu.edu
Jessica Schad, Utah State University, jessica.schad@usu.edu
Greta Linse, Montana State University, greta.linse@montana.edu
Anil Kumar Chaudhary, The Pennsylvania State University, auk259@psu.edu
Katie McLaughlin, Oregon State University, katherine.mclaughlin@oregonstate.edu
Zhengyuan Zhu, Iowa State University, zhuz@iastate.edu
Roshan Nayak, Virginia Tech, roshanayak@vt.edu
Edem Avemegah, Washington State University, edem.avemegah@wsu.edu
Katie Dentzman, Michigan State University, dentzman@iastate.edu
Kathryn Walsh, Cornell University, kbw45@cornell.edu
Jason Kosakow, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, jason.kosakow@rich.frb.org
Pierce Greenberg, Clemson University, pierceg@clemson.edu
Samuel Mindes, Iowa State University, smindes@iastate.edu

Brief Summary of Minutes

Accomplishments

Publications

Joshi, A., Diaz, J., Chaudhary, A. K., Jayaratne, K. S. U., & Galindo, S. (2024). Enhancing effectiveness of Extension program evaluations by validating the trustworthiness of self-reported measures of Extension program outcomes. Advancements in Agricultural Development, 5(4), 59-71.   Sun, H., Berg, E., & Zhu, Z. (2024). Multivariate small-area estimation for mixed-type response variables with item nonresponse. Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology, 12(2), 320-342.   Kosakow, J., & Greenberg, P. (2024). Testing Motivation-Based vs. Social Exchange Communication Strategies in Email Survey Recruitment. Social Science Computer Review, 08944393241308509.   Labuzzetta, C. J., & Zhu, Z. (2024). Mapping Conservation Practices via Deep Learning: Improving Performance via Hillshade Imagery, Sampling Design, and Centerline Dice Loss. Statistics and Data Science in Imaging, 1(1), 2401756.

Impact Statements

This project provides direct feedback to project participants on the design of surveys for research and Extension purposes, as well as an increased capacity to design and implement effective survey procedures with rural and agricultural stakeholders.
This project increases response rates, improves data quality, and reduces the cost of conducting effective surveys

Date of Annual Report: 03/30/2026

Report Information

Annual Meeting Dates: 02/19/2026 - 02/20/2026
Period the Report Covers: 02/21/2025 - 02/20/2026

Participants

Greta Linse, Montana State University, greta.linse@montana.edu
Anil Kumar Chaudhary, The Pennsylvania State University, auk259@psu.edu
Katie McLaughlin, Oregon State University, katherine.mclaughlin@oregonstate.edu
Zhengyuan Zhu, Iowa State University, zhuz@iastate.edu
Roshan Nayak, Virginia Tech, roshanayak@vt.edu
Katie Dentzman, Michigan State University, dentzman@iastate.edu
Joe Hollis, Iowa State University, hollisj@iastate.edu
Tiffany Drape, Virginia Tech, tdrape@vt.edu

Brief Summary of Minutes

Accomplishments

Annual meeting, including report-outs on results of survey methodology experiments, consultation to make surveys more effective, and discussion of contemporary issues in the survey methodology space. Significant benefit to participants in terms of improved survey instruments for research on rural and agricultural topics.   Tiffany Drape Teaching: ALCE 5204: Evaluation of Extension and Outreach Programs (includes survey design units) Publications: Bagheri Hamaneh, A., Dayer, A. A., Drape, T. A., Chaves, W. A., (2025). Investigating pathways to environmental civic engagement for diverse communities. Journal of Environmental Management, (76)61. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-025-02356-2 (accepted in 2025) Invited presentation:  Drape, T., Mulder, M. (2025). From service to seedlings: Arcadia’s Veteran Farmer Program. Veterans Employee Resource Group, Dairy Farmers of America (DFA). June 4, 2025. 18 participants. Grants: PI: Drape, T., A., Travis, E., & Mays, A., (10/1/25-9/30/26). A Long-Term Evaluation of the Promise Program Proposal. Wellspring Foundation. Co-PI: Mulder, M., Hess, P., & Drape, T., (9/01/24-8/31/2027). Arcadia veteran farmer program. United States Department of Agriculture, Ag Veterans. Co-PI: Altson, A., Terry, M., Yang, G., Ahmedna, M., Ng’ombe, J., Beasley, J., Sang, S., Faulker, P., Arayal, N., Bhomik, A., Mayo, L., Simpson, C., Coble, D., Quaicoe, O., Drape, T., & Nayak, R.,  (12/1/24-5/31/28)- Preparing and supporting students to enter the future food and ag workforce (SAPLINGS). United States Department of Agriculture.  Co-PI: Hamilton, A., Eifert, J., & Drape, T. A., (9/1/2023-8/31/2026). Equipping small processors to thrive in larger markets: A hybrid approach to support training efficacy. United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Outreach Program.  Anaka Aiyar Last year I gave a talk on importance of survey design at UVM. - FS 6250: Research Design and Methodology (Graduate level food systems program phd class), I shared insights how to run impact evaluations using administrative and survey data and talked about the pitfalls of poor research design and low survey responses on external validity of estimates. I currently have two surveys in the field that are using some design ideas from WERA objectives  Zhengyuan Zhu Grants: PI, DOJ National Institute of Justice (Co-PI E. Berg K. Burgason), “FUSE: Fast Unbiased Small-area Estimation for Timely Measurement of Community Perceptions of Policing and Public Safety”. $499,562.00, 2025-2027. PI, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (Co-PI: J. Kim, C. Yu, and E. Berg), Statistical and Survey Methods Support for the National Resources Inventory”. $7,750,000.00, 2023-2026. PI, Iowa nutrient research and education council, “Statistical and survey methods support or the collection and analysis of the in-field agricultural practices data in Illinois crop reporting districts”, $15,000, 2024-2025. PI, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, “Iowa Youth Survey Administration”, $59,976, 2024-2025. co-PI, Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management (PI: C. Yu), “Statistical and Survey Methods Support for the BLM-Managed Lands Survey Program”, $821,999.00, 2023-2028. Papers: Dae-Gyu Jang*, Cindy Yu, and Zhengyuan Zhu, ”Estimating Total Acres of Rangeland for Specific Geographies Using Cropland Data Layer (CDL)” (2025+), Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology, accepted for publication. Zhonglei Wang*and Zhengyuan Zhu (2025+), ”Resampling Method for Generalized One-per-Stratum Sampling Designs.” Statistica Sinica, Accepted for publication. doi:10.5705/ss.202024.000 Sun, Hao*, Suraj Upadhaya, Chris Morris, J. Arbuckle, Laurie Nowatzke, and Zhengyuan Zhu (2025). ”The Flux of Agricultural Conservation: Understanding Changes in Iowa Farmers’ Adoption of Cover Crops and No-Till Over Time.” Society & Natural Resources (2025): 1-20. Katie McLaughlin: Teaching: ST 539 Survey Methods (Winter 2025) ST 531 Sampling Methods (Fall 2025) Grants: PI, Oregon State Marine Board Motorboat Fuel Use Survey. $99,739, 2025-2026. PI, Oregon Department of Transportation Highway Quality Survey. $138,600, 2025-2030. PI, Oregon Department of Transportation Needs and Issues Survey. $120,000, 2025-2026. PI, Oregon Department of Transportation Commerce and Compliance Division Customer Service Satisfaction Survey. $38,799, 2025-2027. PI, Oregon DMV Quarterly Customer Satisfaction Surveys. $45,300, 2025-2027. PI, Yakima Fish Benefits Survey, USDI Bureau of Reclamation. $277,320, 2024-2027. PI, Oregon Department of Energy Electric Vehicles Survey. $35,827, 2025. co-PI, Marine Service Providers Survey (with PacWave, Oregon State University). $16,254, 2024-2025. co-PI, Vole Impacts on Willamette Valley Agriculture Survey (with Dana Sanchez, Oregon State University). $18,200, 2024-2025. co-PI, Central Israel-Gaza Initiative, Scholarly Events and Activities Survey (with Peter Betjemann, Oregon State University). $2,644, 2025. Talks: McLaughlin, K. “Using the directed seed method to survey Venezuelan refugee and migrants in Colombia,” Joint Statistical Meetings, Nashville, Tennessee, USA (August 2025) McLaughlin, K. “Using the directed seed method for respondent-driven sampling to survey Venezuelan refugee and migrants in Colombia,” European Survey Research Association Conference, Utrecht, Netherlands (July 2025) McLaughlin, K. “Using the directed seed method for respondent-driven sampling to survey Venezuelan refugee and migrants in Colombia,” American Association for Public Opinion Research Annual Conference, St. Louis, Missouri, USA (May 2025) Jessica Schad Talks: “Tracking Utahns’ Views on Key Environmental Issues Using the Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP).” Seminar for the Quinney College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Utah State University; Logan, UT. “Tracking Utahns’ Views of Key Environmental Issues with the Utah People and Environment Poll.” Seminar for the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Utah State University; Logan, UT. Grants: “Innovation & Community Engagement in Understanding & Addressing Environmental Issues in Utah” (PI), UAES Seed Grant, Utah State University ($79,631), 2025-2027 “The Utah People and Environment Poll: Training Undergraduate Students in Applied Survey Research” (PI), Faculty-Student Summer Mentorship Grants, Utah State University ($4,000), 2025 Pubs: Bennett, Elizabeth, Jessica D. Ulrich-Schad, Sydney Fisk, & Emma Epperson. 2025. “Using a Modified Drop-off/Pick-Up Survey to Reduce Costs and Increase Response Rates.” Society & Natural Resources.<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2025.2547218"> https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2025.2547218</a>

Publications

Tiffany Drape Publications: Bagheri Hamaneh, A., Dayer, A. A., Drape, T. A., Chaves, W. A., (2025). Investigating pathways to environmental civic engagement for diverse communities. Journal of Environmental Management, (76)61. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-025-02356-2 (accepted in 2025)   Zhengyuan Zhu Publications:  Dae-Gyu Jang*, Cindy Yu, and Zhengyuan Zhu, ”Estimating Total Acres of Rangeland for Specific Geographies Using Cropland Data Layer (CDL)” (2025+), Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology, accepted for publication. Zhonglei Wang*and Zhengyuan Zhu (2025+), ”Resampling Method for Generalized One-per-Stratum Sampling Designs.” Statistica Sinica, Accepted for publication. doi:10.5705/ss.202024.000 Sun, Hao*, Suraj Upadhaya, Chris Morris, J. Arbuckle, Laurie Nowatzke, and Zhengyuan Zhu (2025). ”The Flux of Agricultural Conservation: Understanding Changes in Iowa Farmers’ Adoption of Cover Crops and No-Till Over Time.” Society & Natural Resources (2025): 1-20.   Jessica Schad Publications: <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;">Bennett, Elizabeth, Jessica D. Ulrich-Schad, Sydney Fisk, & Emma Epperson. 2025. “Using a Modified Drop-off/Pick-Up Survey to Reduce Costs and Increase Response Rates.” Society & Natural Resources.<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2025.2547218"> https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2025.2547218</a></li> </ul>   Cliff Broman Publications:  <div data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody">Broman, M. J., C. L. Broman and S. Bista. 2023. “Recanting substance use over time”. Journal of Substance Use, 28:5, 730-735, DOI: <a id="OWA42abe7db-04eb-03fc-966a-eadfbe36cfaa" title="https://doi.org/10.1080/14659891.2022.2087778" href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14659891.2022.2087778" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">10.1080/14659891.2022.2087778</a></div> <div> </div> <div>Broman, C. L. and M. D. A. Kelly. 2024. “Measurement Issues in Race Ethnicity and Substance Use”. Journal of Substance Use, 1–8. <a id="OWAf7f43050-a546-0ffe-8de3-4409470bd827" title="https://doi.org/10.1080/14659891.2024.2374802" href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14659891.2024.2374802" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="1">https://doi.org/10.1080/14659891.2024.2374802</a></div> <div> </div> <div>Broman, C.L., N. E. Bray* and M. J. Broman. 2024. “Seeking help for substance use: Long term consequences. Journal of Addiction and Recovery, 7:2, 1046.  DOI:</div> <div> </div> <div>N. E. Bray*, Broman, C. L. and M. D. A. Kelly. 2026. “Race-Ethnicity and Sleep Disparities: Long-Term Issues. Current Psychology, <a class="ms-outlook-linkify" title="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-025-08870-0" href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-025-08870-0" target="_blank" data-linkindex="2">https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-025-08870-0</a></div> <div> </div> <div>Broman, C.L., Monique Kelly, S. Bista and T. D. Smith.  2026. “Cumulative Disadvantage and Perceptions of Unfair Treatment.” Ethnic and Racial Studies, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2025.26048">https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2025.26048</a></div> <div> </div> <div>Eric Raile Publications: </div> <div> <a name="x__Hlk193297138"></a>Eric D. Raile, Pavielle Haines, Amber N. W. Raile, Elizabeth A. Shanahan, and David C. W. Parker. 2025. “Political Identity and Risk Politics: Evidence from a Pandemic.” Risk Analysis 45 (6): 1298-1312. Available at <a title="http://doi.org/10.1111/risa.17654" href="http://doi.org/10.1111/risa.17654" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">http://doi.org/10.1111/risa.17654</a> Eric D. Raile, Eric K. Austin, Michael P. Wallner, Jeffrey Peterson, Brian Lewandowski, Derek Kapps, Bridger Sellegren, and Joe Hutton. 2025. Technology License Agreements as Public-Private Partnerships for Economic Development: Evaluations Using Surveys, Input-Output Modeling, and Regression Analysis. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship 14. Available at <a title="https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-025-00467-y" href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-025-00467-y" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="1">https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-025-00467-y</a> </div> Other Publications: Wallen, Kenneth E., Hammell, Abbey E., and Katherine Dentzman. 2025. Diary method to assess survey invitation frequency and survey experience. Survey Practice 18 (April). <a class="Hyperlink SCXW205043140 BCX0" href="https://doi.org/10.29115/SP-2025-0006" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://doi.org/10.29115/SP-2025-0006</a>

Impact Statements

This project provides direct feedback to project participants on the design of surveys for research and Extension purposes, as well as an increased capacity to design and implement effective survey procedures with rural and agricultural stakeholders.
This project increases response rates, improves data quality, and reduces the cost of conducting effective surveys