ESRA is pleased to announce that its 9th Conference will be held online on 2, 9, 16, and 23 July 2021.

Due to Covid-19 we will offer the conference virtually on the first four Fridays of July.

Highlighting the contribution of survey research to a new normal

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the world has been adapting to a new normal. Working from home, keeping distance and temporary lockdowns have caused a major shift in what is considered to be a “normal” way of living.

Survey researchers have had to confront a number of challenges to the methods at the heart of their practice. In addition, rapid advances in technology have created a wealth of new opportunities for gathering and combining data. These developments have resulted in new opportunities for methodological research aimed at identifying best practice principles for practitioners and providing recommendations to analysts who work with the data.

The potential offered by new methods to gather data and restrictions due to Covid-19 are redefining the role that surveys play in social research, as well as bringing to light the continued importance and value of the scientific survey method as a tool for understanding society. 

ESRA community will continue the conversation about survey research in society online in July 2021. Although we will not be able to physically meet each other, it is paramount that we keep in contact to learn how survey research is conducted. We regret not being able to meet in person, but hope to see you online to learn from advances in survey research and related areas as well as to check-in with old ESRA colleagues and friends.

Organisation

The scientific program will be slightly different compared to previous conferences due to the online setting. 

The online conference will be organized around the following tracks:

1. Surveys in the Covid-19 pandemic
2. Combining multiple sources of data
3. Measurement error in surveys
4. Innovations in surveys: methods and new data sources
5. Questionnaire and survey user interface/experience design and evaluation
6. Unit and item nonresponse
7. Reducing Total Survey Error

Each ESRA2021 track will be accessible via an online conference program and consist of pre-recorded talks and a live Q&A with the presenters during the last 15 minutes of each session. Presentation slides and recordings will be made available as permitted by the presenters. Registered participants will have access to all tracks.

Each session will consist of two parts: 1) streaming of talks, and 2) a live Q&A with the presenters during the last 15 minutes of each session. So be sure to be available for the live Q&A part of your session and engage in exciting discussions with the audience. 

In order to streamline the presentation process, presenters are asked to format, record, and upload their presentation about three weeks in advance of the track. We will provide guidelines and propose several methods presenters can use to easily prepare their presentation. Presenters are free to choose the presentation format and recording software they prefer, given the final product is a self-contained presentation formatted in a common video file. Practical instructions will be given later.

The ESRA2021 call for submissions closed on January 16, 2021.  

Tentative deadlines:

Sponsorship

We welcome sponsors to join us at the largest survey research conference in Europe. Please contact conference@europeansurveyresearch.org for further information.

Join us at ESRA21

Team Vera²

Vera Toepoel (conference chair, v.toepoel@uu.nl)

Vera Lomazzi (conference vice-chair, Vera.Lomazzi@gesis.org)