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NORC at the University Chicago

Benjamin Skalland

Principal Statistician
Statistics & Data Science
Benjamin brings expertise in the areas of survey sampling design, data collection operations, survey weighting, and total survey error assessment.

Benjamin has more than 18 years of experience in statistical analysis and survey methodology, with expertise in the areas of sampling design, data collection operations, survey weighting, and nonresponse bias assessment. He has contributed to the design, operation, and estimation for large federal surveys, including the National Immunization Surveys (NIS), the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), and the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN). He leads a team to monitor and refine the data collection operation of the NIS to improve survey quality and efficiency and has conducted non-response bias assessments for the NIS, NSCH, and NS-CSHCN. In addition, Benjamin leads sampling and weighting operations for the registration-based sampling component of AP VoteCast, an innovative survey of the American electorate conducted for The Associated Press in all 50 states that is designed to tell the story of the election.

Prior to joining NORC, Benjamin received his Master’s degree in Statistics from Iowa State University, where he served as a research assistant in the Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology.

Benjamin has published articles in Public Opinion Quarterly, the Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology, Statistics in Medicine, Public Health Reports, and Survey Practice. He has presented papers to the American Association for Public Opinion Research and the American Statistical Association on topics such as survey methodology, cell-phone sampling, nonresponse error, and an alternative to the response rate for measuring potential survey bias.

Benjamin is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research. He received honorable mention from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for diligence and commitment to producing survey data files.

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Expertise

Education

MS

Iowa State University

BA

Grinnell College

Honors & Awards

President’s Award | 2018

NORC at the University of Chicago

Project Contributions

AP VoteCast

More accurate insights into voters and the issues they care about

Client:

The Associated Press

National Immunization Surveys (NIS)

One of the nation’s largest phone surveys and the gold standard for data on U.S. immunization rates

Client:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases

The Chicago RECOVER Serology Study

Examining COVID-19’s impact on Chicagoans to better understand the most affected communities

Client:

University of Chicago

Maternal and Child Health Jurisdictional Survey

A survey to provide data on the health and wellbeing of mothers and children in eight U.S. jurisdictions

Client:

Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB)

Publications

Research Library & Findings