WAPOR 2024 Conference Awards
WAPOR is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024 conference awards. We express our gratitude to all nominees and the award committees, and congratulate the winner!
Naomi C. Turner Award
The Naomi C. Turner Prize is presented at the WAPOR annual conference for the best graduate student paper. This prize was endowed by WAPOR past president Fred Turner in memory of his mother. Fred was president of WAPOR in 1989-1990. A special thank you to the Turner Prize committee, including Mark Gill, Christopher Adams, Cornelia Mothes, Thomas Roessing, and Matthew Barnidge. The committee is pleased to announce that the winner of the 2024 Naomi Turner prize is Yin Wu (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA) for the paper “The Words We Choose to Believe: Comparing the Influence of Press, Valence, Nationalism, and Emotion on Trust in Foreign Media Coverage of the U.S. on Facebook”. The paper tackles an important topic and, with refinement, could contribute valuable insights to the field. It deals with a range of significant concepts and has the potential to advance our understanding of trust, ideology, and cultural alignment. The committee recommends some issues to be considered by the author to enhance the paper’s clarity and effectiveness. The title could be changed so as not suggest that Facebook is a factor. The sampling methodology could be better explained (with more information on the sampling limitations) and the inclusion of basic descriptive statistics would provide greater clarity. Simplifying the paper by focusing on core concepts, streamlining analyses, and clarifying theoretical contributions, along with a more detailed explanation of the hypotheses’ theoretical motivations, would significantly improve the study. Nevertheless, the ambition of the study is commendable, and the breadth of its conceptual framework demonstrates a thorough engagement with complex social phenomena.
Janet A. Harkness Award
The Janet A. Harkness Award is a joint award of the WAPOR and the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR). This award is given in memory of Dr. Janet A. Harkness, internationally recognized for her contributions to cross-cultural survey methodology. The award is given for the best paper on multi-national, multi-regional or multi-cultural survey research (aka 3M survey research) produced by a student. Thank you to the members of the Janet Harkness Student Paper Award Committee. These include ChanHoong Leong, Mariano Torcal, Angela Ambitho, Sunghee Lee, Heather Smalley, and Evgenia Kapousouz. The committee is pleased to announce that the winner of the 2024 Janet A. Harkness Award are Mao Li (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA), Stephanie Morales (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA), and Kaidar Nurumov (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA) for their paper “Probing on Self-Rated Health and Autocoding Its Responses through Large Language Models (LLM): Strengths and Weaknesses under Multilingual Survey Contexts“. The study evaluates the innovative use of Large Language Models (LLMs) to automate the coding of open-ended survey responses, which is traditionally labor-intensive and costly. LLMs’ performance in coding responses from English, Spanish, German, and Korean speakers across five countries are examined, using data from 3 separate studies, with a combined sample size of over 5,500 participants. Results show that LLMs outperform traditional machine learning algorithms. Performance is consistent across English, German, and Spanish, but slightly lower for Korean, highlighting an opportunity to improve LLMs for underrepresented languages. The committee is impressed by the students’ work, and the study underscores the potential of LLMs to streamline survey research and calls for further exploration in diverse linguistic contexts.
Elizabeth H. Nelson Award
The Elizabeth H. Nelson Prize is awarded for best conference paper from a society in transition. This prize was endowed by WAPOR past president Elizabeth Nelson who was president of WAPOR from 1991-1992. Thank you to our review committee members for the Nelson Prize – Constanza Cilley, Michael Nitsche, Rico Neumann, Saidul Haq and Eva Aizpurua. After considerable debate, the committee decided not to make an award this year. That was a difficult decision and we recognize and appreciate the time and effort invested by members of this award committee.
Alexis de Tocqueville Award
De Tocqueville saw democracy as an equation that balanced liberty and equality, concern for the individual and as well as for the community. Given the ongoing relevance of his observations, this award is given annually to a paper presented at the WAPOR conference that is concerned with democracy and public opinion in the world, whether in consolidated or in emerging democracies. A special thank you goes to the 2024 Award Committee, including WAPOR Presidents Timothy Johnson, Marita Carballo, Claire Durand, Kathy Frankovic, Alejandro Moreno, the current President Robert Chung and Vice-President David Jodice. This year’s the Alexis de Tocqueville Award goes to Alexis Jan Patacsil (Bangko Sentral Pilipinas, Philippines) and Reginald Ugaddan (University of the Philippines, Philippines) for their paper “Power in Numbers: Defining Democracy in the Philippines through Social Capital, Citizen Empowerment and Political Support, and Trust in Political Institutions“. This paper merits recognition for its insightful analysis of the interplay between social capital and democratic perception in the Philippines during Duterte’s administration. By leveraging Putnam’s Social Capital Theory, the authors delve into how citizen empowerment and trust in political institutions mediate this relationship, with governance quality acting as a crucial moderating factor. Utilizing robust statistical methods on data from the Asia Barometer Survey, the study reveals that social capital’s impact on democratic understanding is not direct but fully mediated by political support and trust. This research stands out for its rigorous methodology, theoretical innovation, and significant contributions to understanding democracy in Southeast Asia’s unique sociopolitical landscape.
Robert M. Worcester Award
Every year, the Robert M. Worcester Prize is given in recognition of the best article published in IJPOR – the International Journal of Public Opinion Research, the journal of WAPOR. Evaluation of all papers published in the previous calendar year takes place in two steps, first by the members of the international editorial board of the journal, and then by an award committee appointed by the WAPOR council. A winning article is selected as a result of these two rounds of evaluation. Thank you to the members of the editorial board who participated in the evaluation as well as the members of the WAPOR award committee including Tom Smith, Paulina Tabery, Jibum Kim, Anna Andreenkova, Constanza Cilley and Robert Worcester as ex officio member. The recipients of the 2023 Worcester Award are Seungsu Lee (University of California, USA) and Jaeho Cho (University of California, USA) for their paper “Communication Mediation in an Era of Partisan Selectivity: Modelling Effects of Information and Discussion on Participation“. The award committee comments that, Lee and Cho use the communication mediation model (CMM) to examine patterns of partisan communication in contemporary polarized politics and fragmented partisan media environments. They test the CMM considering (a) two types of news consumption (like-minded and cross-cutting) in the place of overall news use and (b) both affective and cognitive responses. They find a partisan CMM that consists of a two-step mediation linking partisan news consumption to participation through talk and affective polarization. They utilized national survey data covering three U.S. presidential election cycles (the 2012, 2016, and 2020 American National Election Studies). Their study developed a theoretical framework for exploring polarization, political discussions and participation. It is analytically rigorous, uses high-quality survey data, and creates a framework for examining this important issue in the future.
2024 Best Conference Poster Awards
The Best Conference Poster Award is a new, ad-hoc award introduced for this year’s annual conference. This award recognizes the most outstanding poster presentation at the conference, highlighting exceptional clarity, originality, and impact in the research showcased. This award honours the poster that effectively communicates its findings and contributes significantly to the advancement of knowledge in the field, demonstrating both scholarly rigor and creative presentation. Thank you to the members of the Best Poster Award Committee: Timothy Johnson, Wolfgang Aschauer, Chase Harrison and Olga Kamenchuk. This year two poster awards are given by the Committee: the Best Poster Award and the Best Student Poster Award.
The committee is pleased to announce that the winner of the 2024 Best Poster Award is Yul Min Park (University of Pittsburgh, USA) for the poster “Issue Ownership, Electoral Accountability, and Politicians’ Social Media Posts: Evidence from the George Floyd Protests in the United States”. This poster features an insightful exploration of the interplay between technology and political communication, revealing critical drivers behind politicians’ social media behavior. Through a rigorous case study of the 2020 George Floyd protests, the research elucidates how race, party affiliation, and constituency demographics influence the frequency and framing of political issues on Twitter. The study’s innovative use of computational methods and multi-level analysis provides robust evidence of the partisan disparities in addressing systemic racism and protest violence. These findings significantly advance our understanding of political communication dynamics in modern democracies, highlighting the nuanced role of social media in shaping public discourse.
The committee is pleased to announce that the winner of the 2024 Best Student Poster Award is Sujin Song (Chung-ang University, Republic of Korea) for the poster “Does Political Participation Buffer Depression of the Discriminated? Application of Anomic Depression Theory”. This poster features a profound investigation into the impact of discrimination on mental health, utilizing Anomic Depression Theory to elucidate this relationship. By analyzing data from the 2022 Korea Social Integration Survey, the study highlights how discrimination experiences significantly correlate with higher depression rates, particularly among women, high school graduates, and religious individuals with lower income and health status. The innovative application of hierarchical multiple regression reveals that political participation can effectively buffer the adverse effects of discrimination, offering a crucial intervention for mitigating anomic depression. These findings provide vital insights for practitioners and policymakers, emphasizing the importance of fostering political engagement to enhance mental health in marginalized populations.
Helen H. Dinerman Award
This award, given since 1981, honors particularly significant contributions to survey research methodology. The award, presented annually to an individual or individuals, is in memory of Helen Dinerman’s scientific achievements over three decades of public opinion research. Recent recipients of the award include Takashi Inoguchi, Mitchell Seligson, Juan Díez Nicolás, Michael Traugott, and Christian Haerpfer. A special thank you to this year’s review committee, including Timothy Johnson, Patricia Moy, Edith de Leeuw, Michael Traugott, and Christian Haerpfer.
WAPOR is pleased to present the 2024 Helen Dinerman Award to Dr. Ineke Stoop for her lifetime of contributions to the furtherance of survey and public opinion research. A renowned survey statistician, Stoop has significantly advanced the understanding of non-response in surveys and has been instrumental in developing and consolidating survey research infrastructures.
Throughout her illustrious career, Stoop served as the head of the Methodology department at the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP) and from the beginning was involved in the European Social Survey (ESS), where she played a pivotal role as Deputy Director of Methodology. She also chaired the European Statistical Advisory Committee and contributed to numerous national and international data infrastructure initiatives.
Stoop’s academic journey includes studying Methods and Statistics at Leiden University and earning her Ph.D. from Utrecht University in 2005. Her doctoral thesis, focusing on survey nonresponse, was published as a highly cited book, “The Hunt for the Last Respondent: Nonresponse in Sample Surveys.” She has authored and co-authored numerous influential publications, including “Improving Survey Response: Lessons from the European Social Survey.“
Her contributions have earned her membership in the International Statistical Institute and the 2019 ESRA Award for Outstanding Service to European Survey Research. Even after her retirement in 2019, Stoop continues to impact the field through teaching, advisory roles, and active involvement in research integrity initiatives.
Ineke Stoop’s dedication, expertise, and innovative contributions make her a deserving recipient of the WAPOR Helen Dinerman Award, celebrating her lasting impact on survey research and methodology.
For her leadership and extraordinary accomplishments, and for her continuous and wide-ranging impact, WAPOR is proud to honor Ineke Stoop with the 2024 WAPOR Helen Dinerman Award.
Speech of Ineke Stoop at the Awards Ceremony
Seoul, July 30, 2024
Dear colleagues, dear friends,
For the past 40 years survey research methodology, public opinion research and comparative surveys have been my consuming interests. In the past five years I have had more time for another consuming interest: opera. You might wonder what public opinion and opera have in common. There is a clear link, however: a favorite opera of mine is Orphée aux enfers from Offenbach (or Orpheus in the Underworld). And lo and behold, one of the protagonists is Public Opinion. At the start she (it is a she) sings, in the English version of Donald Pippin:
My rightful name is Public Opinion.
Although I play a thousand roles
And kings are under my dominion,
At home I’m simply called . . . The Polls.
The mind of man cannot unravel
The mystery of how I travel,
The speed with which I cover ground;
In other words, I get around.
I show up in the strangest places,
From barber shop to taxi cab.
Wherever people stop to gab,
I’m there in all my many faces.
An active lady for my age,
My favorite spot is center stage.
So, you can imagine how excited I am to be here on the stage, at this wonderful WAPOR conference in Seoul. Because of the innovations and the possibilities and challenges of new technologies presented here. But foremost because of the emphasis of this conference on values: liberty, quality and humanity.
In the past few years, when not listening to operas, I have done some work on areas related to these values: scientific integrity and research ethics. Researchers of public opinion have great responsibilities. Humanity needs information on public opinion, and for me this is not a one-way process. Many people like to share their thoughts and give their opinions if they feel you are really listening, and that is what we should do: listen to people, and not only to the most vocal ones, but also to the silent ones, and those with no computer skills, or those who are functionally illiterate, and in my country that is close to 1 in 6 adults. Everybody should be heard; public opinion of humanity, by humanity and for humanity.
I owe much to many people and institutions. To my former employer, The Netherlands Institute for Social Research/SCP, which always emphasized the importance of sound methodology to inform the Dutch public and the Dutch government. SCP allowed me to spend time on the European Statistical Advisory Committee and the European Social Survey. I also owe a lot to numerous friends and colleagues who taught me and inspired me. And finally, to the lovely and wise WAPOR people for giving me this award.
I have looked at the list of winners of the Helen Dinerman award and it is an impressive list. I am very proud and grateful to receive this award. Three of the former winners whom I knew well have passed away. They always were very kind to me, helped and encouraged me, and taught me a lot. So please let me finish by expressing my thanks to Roger Jowell, Lars Lyberg and Don Dillman.
WAPOR Asia Pacific Lifetime Award
The WAPOR Asia Pacific Chapter Lifetime Achievement Award acknowledges an individual for their extraordinary and sustained contributions to the field of public opinion research within the Asia Pacific region. This prestigious award celebrates a career characterized by innovative research, impactful insights, and a profound dedication to advancing the understanding and practice of public opinion measurement. It recognizes a lifetime of excellence and leadership in shaping the field and influencing the industry’s development. Thank you to this year’s review committee, including Linda Luz Guerrero, Matthew Gray, Jibum Kim, Yashwant Deshmukh, and Syed Idid.
WAPOR Asia Pacific Chapter is pleased to present the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award to Hyunho Seok. Emeritus Professor Hyunho Seok at Sungkyunkwan University has been a true pioneer in the realm of social science research methodology. His extensive work and dedication have not only profoundly impacted the understanding and development of social indicators and survey statistics in Korea but have also inspired a generation of researchers to push the boundaries of their field. Professor Seok was instrumental in designing and launching the “Korean General Social Survey” in 2003. This survey has become the foundation for understanding the stability and change of Korean society in the 21st century and a cornerstone for social science research in Korea.
In 2006, he founded the Korea Social Science Data Archive (KOSSDA), a non-profit institution specializing in social science data archiving. This open access has fostered data preservation, dissemination, and the establishment of a robust data-sharing network, allowing everyone to participate in the research community in Korea. Professor Seok’s contributions do not end here. He has led pivotal research on Korean social trends, including the landmark “Korean Social Trends” report, published jointly by KOSSDA and Statistics Korea. This report has played a crucial role in identifying policy needs, cementing Professor Seok’s legacy in advancing the significance of social surveys.
Professor Seok, your tireless dedication, innovative spirit, and profound impact on social science research have left an indelible mark on the field. We are incredibly grateful for your contributions and proud to honor you with this Lifetime Achievement Award.