From convening global research conversations at the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) ‘s 81st Annual Conference in Los Angeles to officially joining Executive Council for 2026–27, this past week was a powerful reminder of how much the future of research, AI, governance, and global representation is evolving in real time for data leaders in survey science.
Followingthe delivery of a successful AAPOR short course in the week just before the conference, I was proud to launch the AAPOR–WAPOR Global Research Panel, chaired by myself and Chase H. Harrison, with wide-ranging yet deeply interconnected presentations and remarks from Kathleen Frankovic , Colin Irwin, J. Daniel Montalvo, Ph.D. , Chase, and myself.
It was great to see how global polling guidelines have evolved since 2014 to reflect today’s needs, including AI disclosure and polling practices around the world, while aligning well with AAPOR’s own recent Code of Ethics updates, as shared by Kathy who discussed the WAPOR and Esomar updates to professional standards. Migration will not settle as a topic anytime soon. It remains one of the defining and most polarizing issues of our age and across the Americas. Yet, as Colin reminded us, even larger questions around world peace require urgent attention and WAPOR and GRIT are working to channel data, dialogue, and global research toward more constructive outcomes. Daniel presented on reaching Venezuelan migrant communities across nearby countries through adaptive cluster sampling, borrowing from techniques often used in field biology to find populations that are rare, mobile, and geographically clustered.
I discussed the complexity of The Nationality Paradox, a book chapter from my larger work on immigrant narratives, grounded in surveys, hundreds of annual conversations with Generation1.ca members, and other known and less discussed data sources. I was also thrilled to leverage that timely avenue to introduce a new Global Research Affinity Group, an initiative I have been working on over the past year with the support of Council members Luis Tipan Vizcarra and Lena Centeno, MA and the Affinity Groups Subcommittee represented by Casey Langer Tesfaye with support from members across diverse organizations like WAPOR , European Survey Research Association, Esomar, Vanderbilt University‘s Center for Global Democracy‘s Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP), Generation1.ca and beyond. All those who signed up to the mailing list will be kept informed of this upcoming online webinar and other related updates and news.
As Founder and Chair of this newly formed group, I look forward to building a vibrant community of researchers committed to global, cross-national, multicultural, and international research collaborations that advance innovation and impact. Our role is to be a bridge across methods, markets, cultures, societies and more. Grateful for the conversations, sunshine, and perspective shifts along the way.
In my second AAPOR presentation at the same conference, I turned to a question that is becoming urgent for research, policy, and business: How do we responsibly use synthetic data to better understand hard-to-reach groups like immigrants? I brought the perspective of an immigrant-led professional community organization serving immigrants across Canada and the U.S., where representation is not abstract. It shapes retention, trust, services, talent pipelines, and institutional capability.
Using census-based microdata anchors, real community survey responses and machine learning augmentation, we explored how synthetic approaches can help repair representation gaps when demographic insight is incomplete or uneven.
The opportunity is powerful. The caution is just as important. Synthetic data must never replace real human voice. It must be governed, validated, and grounded in lived experience, while recognizing that human data is also dynamic, imperfect, and constantly shifting. It also reminds one of a line from the movie Interstellar (since we were in Los Angeles the lines acted by Anne Hathway probably resonate here): “Honesty isn’t always the most diplomatic nor the safest form of communication with emotional beings.”
AI isn’t always reliable either but for different reasons than humans, as also pointed out by researchers from various organizations including the US Government Accountability Office. I had examples to share from my work including some experiments with Livepanel Leonardo Valente Agustín Elissondo. Now come extend these discussions around your global research ambitions and relevance. Scan the QR code in the video to indicate your interest in staying updated on news, highlights and opportunities. Thank you to all who contributed to and featured in the photos including Bob Torongo, Dakisha Locklear, Michal A. Malkiewicz.
Enjoyed reconnecting with colleagues and friends from across the field and around the world through a week of thoughtful sessions, challenging conversations, methodological innovation, and important discussions on AI, migration, ethics, polling, governance, and the future of global research. It was especially heartwarming to meet those who remembered me from my AAPOR short course the week before and who shared how nice it was to connect in person.
