Westat Shares Survey Expertise at AAPOR 2026

Westat experts will be presenting at the 81st Annual American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) Conference, taking place in Los Angeles, California, May 13–15. They will highlight work across a variety of timely topics, including large language models (LLMs), machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI) tools, methodological innovations, data privacy and confidentiality considerations, and more. Westat is a proud AAPOR 2026 sponsor.

AAPOR 2026 highlights the continued importance of public opinion and survey research. As perspectives evolve and research approaches advance, this year’s conference will emphasize effectively communicating with wider audiences, strengthening confidence in data, and reinforcing the role of polling and survey insights as a valuable foundation for thoughtful analysis and decision‑making.

Spotlight on WesLytics™

Westat staff attending AAPOR 2026 include experts working with WesLytics, our data platform that supports rigorous, high-quality research. WesLytics combines the Databricks AI and cloud management platform with Westat’s methodological, statistical, and technical expertise. This integrated approach supports managing and analyzing data of many types, scales, and sources, while enabling efficient, adaptable solutions across the research life cycle.

Built on Databricks and Amazon Web Services (AWS), WesLytics upholds strong security and compliance requirements while transforming complex data into actionable insights. By enabling advanced analytics and uncovering meaningful patterns, WesLytics supports reliable, data-driven findings for survey research and informed analysis.

Presentations

We are participating in the following presentations (Westat staff in bold):

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

9:00–10:30 am

Using Large Language Models for Imputation: A Proof-of-Concept. Hanyu Sun, Daifeng Han, and J. Michael Brick.

10:45 am–12:15 pm

Community Engaged and Participatory Qualitative Approaches. Casey Langer Tesfaye.

Cognitive Interviewing Innovations and Pretesting at Scale. Lena Centeno.

Evaluating a More Accurate Margin of Error. Andrew Mercer, Courtney Kennedy, J. Michael Brick, and Sharon Lohr.

Thursday, May 14, 2026

 8:30–9:30 am

Panel Conditioning and Reports of Victimization. (Poster Session.) David Cantor, Jesus Arrue, Ting Yan, and Reanne Townsend.

11:15 am–12:45 pm

Transparency and Disclosure in AI-Enabled Survey Research: Discussion 2 of 2 by the AAPOR AI Taskforce and Journal Editors. (Discussion Session.) Jenny Marlar, David Rothschild, Allyson Holbrook, and Brad Edwards.

4:00–5:30 pm

Using Large Language Models for Coding Open-Ended Survey Responses: A Case Study. Reanne Townsend, Hanyu Sun, Joann Sorra, and Jess Kirchner.

Friday, May 15, 2026

10:15–11:45 am

Methodological Innovations in Qualitative Research. Lena Centeno.

2:15–3:45 pm

Exploring National Estimates of Caregivers to Older Adults in the Context of a Longitudinal Follow-Back Study Design. Mengyao Hu, Wendy Van de Kerckhove, Justin Kamens, and Vicki A. Freedman.

4:00–5:30 pm

Survey Paradata Metrics as Indicators for Tracking Trends in Confidentiality Concerns and Trust in Government. Brad Edwards, Susan Genoversa, and Ryan Hubbard.

Predicting Refusal Reasons in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Steven Fink, Matt Jans, Jill Fleming, and Minsun Riddles.

Optimizing the Integration of Web into BRFSS Data Collection: A Pilot Study. Machell Town, Hanyu Sun, William Garvin, and Gina Shkodriani.