Tim Johnson

Tim Johnson — Photo: Jenny Fontaine

Whether it was exit polls, phone polls, or unscientific web polls, the 2016 presidential election proved that not all public opinion research is equal.

Survey expert Tim Johnson, who led the Survey Research Laboratory from 1996 to 2019, says methodology, sampling, transparency and margin of error are among the attributes that distinguish the quality of surveys and resulting data.

He was named a fellow of the American Statistical Association for his work exploring cross-cultural issues in survey research, particularly as it relates to disadvantaged population’s health behaviors. Part of his investigation in this area has involved cultural variability in the processing of survey questions, a factor that contributes to nonresponse and measurement error.

Johnson, who is past-president of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, can discuss best practices for surveys and assess methods related to designing, conducting and analyzing public opinion polls.

Subject areas:

• Data collection
• Public opinion polling
• Survey methodology
• Health disparities
• Health behaviors