05/18/2026
Following last week’s AAPOR 81st Annual Conference, it’s always a valuable opportunity to step back and reflect on where our industry is headed.
A few themes that were most highlighted in Los Angeles included:
🔹 Reframing the “response rate” challenge
What’s often framed as a sampling or recruitment issue increasingly feels like something deeper: trust, relevance, and perceived agency. People aren’t necessarily “hard to reach,” they’re often not reached in ways that matter to them. That shift has important implications for how we design research, engage participants, and communicate value.
🔹 A shared challenge across the industry
Low response rates and representation challenges are not isolated; they’re being felt everywhere, across methodologies. Even rigorously constructed probability panels aren’t immune. What is reinforced is the importance of transparency, continuous improvement, and meeting respondents where they are.
🔹 The evolving role of weighting and methodological rigor
There’s continued discussion around how far weighting can take us in addressing bias. At RSG, we see this as a reminder that strong methodological foundations still matter - and that careful, context-driven application of advanced techniques is key to producing reliable insights.
🔹 Synthetic data: balancing potential with realism
There’s no shortage of excitement about synthetic data, but today’s applications still present real limitations. For now, it remains an area where cautious optimism - and rigorous evaluation - are essential.
🔹 AI as part of the research toolkit
AI-enabled data collection, including conversational and voice-based approaches, has quickly moved from experimental to practical. Rather than replacing traditional methods, it’s becoming another tool to thoughtfully integrate where it enhances data quality and respondent experience.
Overall, the conversations at AAPOR reinforced something we believe strongly at RSG: high-quality insights depend on both methodological rigor and a deep understanding of the people behind the data.
Looking forward to continuing the conversation and putting these ideas into practice.
