Transparency in Documentation for 

Statistical Surveys using a Probability Panel

2022 FCSM Research & Policy Conference

Session B-6: Leveraging Probability Panels for Federally Sponsored 

Statistical Data Collections 

J. Michael Dennis, SVP, NORC

Jennifer Benz, VP, NORC

Ed Mulrow, SVP, NORC
AmeriSpeak is the first U.S. multi-client household panel to 

combine the speed and cost-effectiveness of panel surveys 

with enhanced representativeness of the U.S. population, an

industry-leading response rate, and the NORC Card, an innovative 

sample quality report card. 
BACKGROUND : AMERISPEAK BY THE NUMBERS 3

By the Numbers (as of 10/1/2022)

50,000+

Participating 

Households 

(50 States + DC)

1.3K+

Client Survey 

Questionnaires 

Fielded

(Since June 2015)

2.4M

Cum Client 

Survey 

Completions 

34%

Recruitment 

Response Rate

(For recruitment 

years with NRFU*)

See AmeriSpeak.norc.org/research *NRFU: Nonresponse Follow-up (refusal conversion) using enhanced 

incentives, Fed Ex mailers, and contacts by face-to-face professional 

interviewers
4

U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Approved 

AmeriSpeak® Panel Information Collections (Updated July 11, 2022)

Project Name Funding Agency / Sponsor

OMB 

Approval 

Number

OMB 

Approval 

Date

W&I Taxpayer Experience Survey (TES) Internal Revenue Services,

Wage and Investment Division (W&I) 1545-0525 5/2017

Test Predictability of Falls Screening Tools

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention, National Center for Injury 

Prevention and Control (NCIPC)

0920-1220 3/2018

2018 College Student and Recent 

Graduates' Knowledge of DoD Careers and 

Scholarship Opportunities Survey.

U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) 0704-0553 3/2018

Anchor It! Campaign Survey U.S. Consumer Product Safety 

Commission (CPSC)

3041-0183 11/2019
5

U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Approved 

AmeriSpeak Panel Information Collections (continued)

Project Name Funding Agency / Sponsor

OMB 

Approval 

Number

OMB 

Approval 

Date

Research and Development Survey (RANDS)

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention, National Center for Health 

Statistics (NCHS)

0902-1323 2/2019

Research and Development Survey (RANDS) 

during COVID19

Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention, National Center for Health 

Statistics (NCHS)

0920-1298 5/2020

Customer Experience, Expectations, and 

Needs Survey (CEEN)

Internal Revenue Services, Small 

Business/Self-Employed Division 

(SB/SE)

1545-1432 3/2020

USAID Feed the Future Initiative: National 

Survey of U.S. Adults about Global Food 

Security

United States Agency for International 

Development (USAID) 0412-0607 8/2020
6

U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Approved 

AmeriSpeak Panel Information Collections (continued)

Project Name Funding Agency / Sponsor

OMB 

Approval 

Number

OMB 

Approval 

Date

COVID-19 Attitudes and Beliefs Survey 

(CABS)

Department of Health and Human 

Services, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA)

0990-0475 7/2021

Office on Women’s Health Post-Partum 

Depression 

Department of Health and Human 

Services, Office on Women’s Health 

and Family Services (OWHFS)

0990-0281 1/2021

Reducing the Illegal Passing of School Buses

Department of Transportation, 

National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration (NHTSA)

2127-0755 12/2021

Teen and Parent Surveys of Health (TAPS) Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention (CDC) 0920-1362 10/2021
BACKGROUND : AMERISPEAK RECRUITMENT METHODOLOGY 7

How Does AmeriSpeak Address the Challenge of Representing All 

of the U.S. Population?

2-STAGE RECRUITMENT

Mail/Phone Contacting Face-to-Face (F2F) Contacting
SECTION : AMERISPEAK’S COMPLIANCE WITH THE AAPOR TRANSPARENCY INITIATIVE 8

What is the AAPOR Transparency 

Initiative (TI)?

• TI members commit to routinely 

disclosing the research methods 

associated with their studies 

– Disclosure can be to clients or publicly when 

NORC is releasing the study

– Includes 11 disclosure elements for 

immediate release

– Additional elements that should be released 

upon request within 30 days

The Transparency Initiative at NORC

• NORC is a charter member (joined 2015)

• AmeriSpeak’s positioning is to be “all-in” 

on Transparency 

• NORC research staff trained on TI 

requirements every 2 years
RESPONSE RATE REPORTING 9

The glossary on the back panel defines all terms. AAPOR RR III formula used for HH recruitment rate.
STANDARD DISCLOSURES IN REPORTING 10

Standard Disclosure in Project Reports

 Rights of Human Subjects Documentation

 Panel Construction Protocol

 Within-Panel/Study-Specific Sampling Protocol

 Gaining Cooperation Protocol

 Schedule of Email/SMS texting/Outbound Phone Outreach

 Respondent Incentives

 Data Quality Inspection Reviews

 Response Rate Reporting by Component (using AAPOR Standard Definitions)

 Weighting Complete Documentation

 Base weighting

 Post-stratification weighting

 Trimming rules

 Control totals and benchmarking sources
AMERISPEAK FEDERAL 11

AmeriSpeak Federal

AmeriSpeak Federal is a new NORC panel with features designed to even 

further maximize data quality and response rates:

 40 percent of invited HH sample is assigned NRFU status and receives extra Federal Express 

mailings and in-person recruiting

 Higher recruitment rates and modest differences in panelist demographics

22.1%

31.7%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

AmeriSpeak AmeriSpeak

Federal

Recruitment Rates

17.6%

14.9%

23.4%

16.9%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

Hispanic Black

Race/Ethnicity

AmeriSpeak AmeriSpeak Federal

23.1% 22.6%

26.8%

18.2%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

18-34 65 and older

Age

AmeriSpeak AmeriSpeak Federal
Thank you.

See AmeriSpeak.norc.org/research