Rep Data heads to the 80th Annual AAPOR Conference

As the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) celebrates its 80th Annual Conference, Rep Data is excited to join this milestone event and engage with the industry’s brightest minds. This year’s conference, running from May 13-16 in St. Louis, promises to be an exciting gathering of researchers, data professionals, and thought leaders, and we are thrilled to participate in the rich discussions surrounding data quality, fraud detection, and emerging trends in AI. Reps Ricky Odello and Cullen Wheatley will be at booth #214 at the conference, and our Head of Research, Steven Snell, is speaking on Friday about “Smoking Out the Fraudsters!”

The conference kicks off Tuesday afternoon with “Idea Groups,” where participants can dive into pressing topics and share innovative ideas. At Rep Data, we’re particularly looking forward to engaging in these discussions, especially those that will focus on data integrity, strategies to improve respondent engagement, and AI’s evolving role in market research in the Idea Group: “Using Multiple Data Sources for AI Alignment: Bridging Survey Research and Machine Learning.” These groups will be an excellent opportunity to connect with colleagues and contribute to the future of data quality.

On Wednesday, there are so many great sessions to choose from, all day long! Plus the exhibit hall opens up, and our team will be busy at booth #215. Some conference panels that day we hope to catch include, “Improving Survey Data Quality with LLMS: Design & Data Collection,” and “AP VoteCast Explains: Telling the 2024 Election Story.” Also, an event we don’t want to miss is the “What is the Market Research & Insights Industry? A View from Inside and Outside the AAPOR Community” which aims to foster a stronger connection between AAPOR members and the broader insights industry, which is often underrepresented at AAPOR events. Wednesday’s opening night reception awaits after this first day of the expo and sessions!

Thursday brings even more engaging discussions, events, panels, poster sessions and roundtables! The panel "From Good Questions to Better Answers: Exploring How Survey Research Methods Can Be Used within AI" will explore how survey research can improve AI by addressing biases in training data and enhancing human-centered processes. Other sessions that day run the gamut of topics, like “Innovations in Survey Methodology: Understanding Respondent Survey Behaviors,” “The Future of AI and Survey Research,” and “Gold Standards, Self-Reports, and Fraudulent Respondents: Mining for the Truth.” After a day of learning on Thursday, we will catch the AAPOR awards ceremony followed by a late night after-party.

On Friday, we’re especially excited that Rep Data’s Head of Research, Steven Snell, will be speaking on a critical issue that we’re deeply involved in: fraud detection in online panels (4:15pm in Midway Suite ½). Steve’s session, “Smoking out the Fraudsters: Quantifying and Combatting Fraud in Online Panels,” will leverage original research to demonstrate the significant threat posed by fraudulent data in online survey research and that traditional data cleaning and attention checks miss a substantial amount of low-quality responses. The research highlights that fraud identified by Rep Data’s Research Defender distorts key demographic, attitudinal, and market research outcomes, challenging the industry's current approach to identifying and addressing fraudulent data.

The 80th Annual AAPOR Conference promises to be a great event, filled with valuable discussions and opportunities to learn from the best in the industry. From the Idea Groups on Tuesday to Steven Snell’s session on Friday to the energy all week in the exhibit hall, we are eager to connect with our peers, share insights, and contribute to the future of data quality and innovation in market research. We hope to see you there! Make sure to visit us at Booth #214 and mark your calendars for our session!