Member Spotlight at the top, with the photo of a white woman wearing rectangular glasses, with long brown hair, smiling. Martha McRoy, NORC at the University of Chicago, is under her photo, and then: "I believe investing in the next generation of statisticians and methodologists is essential to sustaining innovation and excellence in our field.” and the ASA logo at the bottom.

Martha McRoy, senior research methodologist at NORC, blends survey stats expertise with mentorship. "Impact isn’t just in data—it’s in guiding the next generation," she says. magazine.amstat.org/...

#Statistics #Mentorship #DataScience #StatsSky

Omnibus Survey | NORC at the University of Chicago We conduct objective, nonpartisan research and deliver insights that decision-makers can trust.

Find out more: go.norc.org/3NQ5zCK

"AmeriSpeak" logo at the top. Below, larger text states, "Americans see China leading in race to global business dominance." An arrow icon is centered at the bottom.

Bar chart titled "More Americans Believe China (Rather than the USA) is Leading in the Race to Global Dominance Across Markets." The chart compares perceptions of China's and USA's leadership in three sectors: Electric Vehicles, Artificial Intelligence, and Alternative Energy Sources. For Electric Vehicles, China leads with 36%, while the USA has 8%. In Artificial Intelligence, China has 28% and the USA 22%. In Alternative Energy Sources, China leads with 19% compared to the USA's 12%. Japan is included in the chart, with 6% in Electric Vehicles, 3% in Artificial Intelligence, and 2% in Alternative Energy Sources. The data source is AmeriSpeak Omnibus, with a survey conducted from January 23-25, 2026, involving 1,146 adults. AmeriSpeak logo at the bottom right.

Bar chart titled "Americans Are More Confident in U.S. Being Competitive in AI in the Next Decade." It shows confidence levels in three industries: Alternative Energy Sources, Artificial Intelligence, and Electric Vehicles. Each industry has three confidence levels: Not confident/slightly confident, somewhat confident, and extremely confident/very confident. Alternative Energy: 45% somewhat, 37% extremely. Artificial Intelligence: 28% somewhat, 38% extremely. Electric Vehicles: 45% somewhat, 19% extremely. Source: AmeriSpeak Omnibus.

More Americans say China leads the United States in electric vehicles, AI, and alternative energy. Few see the competitive landscape shifting in the next decade, with AI as a slight exception.

#OmniBites: Bite-sized insights from the AmeriSpeak Omnibus, a nationally representative survey.

Heading to #AERA2026 in Los Angeles? NORC’s AmeriSpeak team will be at Booth #234 to talk probability-based research and teen survey methodology.

Find out more: go.norc.org/4mgrBvC

The Big Impact of Small Area Estimation | NORC at the University of Chicago How do we see the stories big national averages hide? Use small area estimation.

Rural communities have higher rates of hearing loss than urban areas, even when controlling for factors like age. Standard surveys alone can't reliably produce that finding. NORC's Carolina Franco explains how small area estimation made it possible.

View the full expert view: go.norc.org/41LMhlD

Barriers, Innovations & Pathways to Boosting Wisconsin’s Rural Teacher Pipeline | NORC at the University of Chicago A new NORC study finds that to meet school workforce needs, Wisconsin teacher training programs need to offer more rural-specific preparation.

Wisconsin's rural schools teach nearly half of all students in the state, yet the rural teacher workforce has contracted nearly 3 percent over two decades. A new NORC study examines the barriers and what could help address them: go.norc.org/3Ogu38O

This image features a professional headshot of Brett Harris, Principal Research Scientist, Public Health at NORC. Below the photo is the quote: "We continue to innovate on ways to jointly address overdose and suicide given evolving needs, challenges, and opportunities." The background is a gradient dark grey, and the NORC logo is at the bottom.

Overdose and suicide have risen together for decades, yet prevention efforts rarely address them jointly. NORC's Brett Harris outlines the community-informed approaches her team has developed to bridge that gap: go.norc.org/4sIVBTe

Promotional graphic for "dialogo," the alumni podcast of the UChicago Division of the Social Sciences. It features an Image of Marc Hernandez, an associate director in the Bridge at NORC and founding director of NORC's Early Childhood Research & Practice Collaborative. The ext on the image reads "Season 2 Ep 3: Marc Hernandez (AB'00, MA'02 MAPSS, PhD'09 Psychology).

Marc Hernandez, an associate director in the Bridge at NORC, joined the University of Chicago's Dialogo podcast to discuss his career in applied developmental psychology, research careers outside academia, and how AI is changing research work.

Listen to the full episode: go.norc.org/47CtexD

Image showing a large, busy crosswalk viewed from above with pedestrians crossing. The text reads, “Where are you really from?” and below, “Half of Asian Americans still seen as foreign regardless of birthplace.” Logos of Committee of 100 and NORC are present.

U.S.-born and foreign-born Asian Americans encounter assumptions about their national origin at nearly equal rates, according to new research from Committee of 100 and NORC.

Access the full report: go.norc.org/41ajjf6

NORC Research Science • March 2026 NORC’s expertise in statistics, data science, and survey methodology strengthens every project we conduct. Here’s what’s new.

Just launched: NORC Research Science, our newsletter on statistics, data science, and survey methodology. The first issue covers AI frameworks for federal datasets, survey methods research, and sample frame design, plus events.

Access the full issue today: go.norc.org/4m5ui2R

Infographic titled ‘Spotlight on Health’ by NORC at the University of Chicago showing exposure to gambling content compared with other consumer content. Nearly half of respondents, 49%, report exposure to beauty content. About one-third report exposure to online gambling content at 36% and e-cigarettes or vaping content at 34%. Exposure is lower for fitness content at 20%, indicating gambling content exposure is lower than beauty but higher than several other consumer categories.

Infographic titled ‘Spotlight on Health’ by NORC at the University of Chicago showing that exposure to gambling content varies by social media platform. Nearly half of respondents, 49%, report exposure on TikTok. Exposure is lower on Facebook at 27% and Instagram at 20%, highlighting differences in gambling content reach across platforms.

Infographic titled ‘Spotlight on Health’ by NORC at the University of Chicago showing types of gambling content on Facebook. About one-fifth of respondents, 21%, report exposure to paid gambling advertisements. Smaller shares report exposure to gambling-related posts at 8% and videos at 8%, indicating ads are the most common form of gambling content on Facebook.

March Madness is peak season for sports betting promotion. But new NORC research finds gambling content reaches some users well outside the big moments: about 1 in 3 survey respondents saw it in a single week, with just 10% seeing about 50% of all that content.

Find out more: go.norc.org/48oZWmn

A laptop displays a webpage titled "International Programs" from NORC.org. The page highlights content about strengthening global development efforts and lists department leads with headshots. The text above the laptop invites users to find more information on NORC.org.

These projects are just a sample of a larger body of work centering issues affecting women and girls around the world.

Find out more about our international research. go.norc.org/3ObQwDW

A child sits at a wooden desk, surrounded by peers in a classroom setting. The image is overlaid with text that reads, "Improving Early Grade Reading in Uganda" and "Evaluating an early-grade reading and violence reduction program on learning and retention."

Graphic titled "Improving Early Grade Reading in Uganda" with four bullet points: evaluation of a U.S.-funded program in Uganda; use of randomized controlled trial and qualitative methods with 1.3 million learners; positive reading outcomes in local languages with low overall levels; limited impact on reducing school-related sexual violence and student retention. NORC logo at the bottom right.

A randomized controlled trial in Uganda reaching 1.3 million learners found positive reading outcomes, particularly in local languages, alongside limited impact on reducing school-related sexual violence and student retention:

A person wearing a mask and headband stands in a crowd holding a flag. The image is overlaid with the text "Women's Political Participation & Leadership" and "Enhancing understanding of women's political participation and leadership around the globe."

An image titled "Women’s Political Participation & Leadership" features a list of achievements. These include developing a global assessment framework, piloting the framework in Guatemala, Guinea, Liberia, and Nepal in 2023, conducting assessments in five countries to identify barriers and opportunities, and supporting U.S. government globally in women's leadership initiatives. The NORC logo is at the bottom right.

A framework to assess women's political participation and leadership, piloted across four countries, helped the U.S government target programming where it could have the greatest impact:

A healthcare professional examines a young patient with an open mouth. Text overlay reads: "A Decade of Maternal & Child Health Efforts in Mesoamerica. NORC’s Salud Mesoamerica evaluation uncovers what shapes lasting health systems."

This is an image of a quote attributed to Alicia Menendez, Senior Fellow, International Programs. The quote emphasizes the importance of humility, flexibility, and a long-term perspective in global health initiatives, citing lessons from Salud Mesoamerica. The NORC logo is at the bottom.

An evaluation of maternal and child health systems in Latin America found quality of care improved more consistently than coverage, with early sustainability planning among the key drivers:

Two people holding hands. Text overlay reads: "Sexual Violence Prevention Efforts Need Better Knowledge Sharing. A multi-country evaluation highlights cross-program knowledge sharing as key to prevention success."

Image with headshot of Ritu Nayyar-Stone, identified, Co-Director at the Center on Indo-Pacific Social & Economic Research. A quote reads: “The future of effective sexual violence prevention lies not in creating more standalone programs, but in building deliberate bridges across existing efforts.” NORC logo at the bottom.

A multi-country review of 20 sexual violence prevention activities found critical gaps in cross-program coordination and baseline data:

The image is a promotional graphic for NORC's Global Research on Women & Girls. The background features abstract, multicolored data visualization patterns at the bottom.

This Women's History Month, we've been looking at the data. Our research across Africa, Central America, and South Asia examines what works for programs affecting women and girls, and where the gaps remain.

Orange and white promotional graphic for NORC, inviting people to visit their booth at the 2026 Veterans in Society Conference, taking place March 26th to 28th in Chicago, Illinois.

Our team is onsite at #ViS2026 in Chicago! Stop by the NORC booth to chat about the Veterans Insight Panel, a nationally representative source of Veteran data across branches, eras, and demographic groups.

Find out more: go.norc.org/3PAqeM2

Sexual Violence Prevention Efforts Need Better Knowledge Sharing | NORC at the University of Chicago A multi-country evaluation shows that failure to systematically share knowledge across programs can undermine otherwise promising prevention efforts.

A NORC evaluation of 20 sexual violence prevention programs across 19 countries suggests effective prevention is less about having good ideas and more about sharing them.

Find out why coordination may be a missing piece: go.norc.org/4dN55YY

This is the cover of a book titled "Harry Hubert Field: The Life of a Survey Research Pioneer" by Tom W. Smith. The cover features a black and white portrait of Harry Hubert Field wearing a suit and tie. The cover notes his contributions as the founder of the National Opinion Research Center and associations related to public opinion research.

The scientific measurement of public opinion in the United States has a largely forgotten founding figure: Harry Hubert Field, who established NORC in 1941.

NORC senior fellow Tom W. Smith brings his story to light in a new biography, available now: go.norc.org/4bLUSJH

A quote attributed to Martha Cowley, Product Manager at AmeriSpeak, is displayed. The quote says,"The most effective way to fight fraud in qualitative research isn’t catching bad actors after the fact. It’s recruiting real people through a panel created with a methodology that makes fraud extremely difficult to begin with.” The image features the logo of NORC at the top.

One fraudulent participant can derail a focus group and distort the insights that follow. Martha Cowley explains why qualitative research fraud is a methodology problem as much as a detection problem.

View the full Expert View: go.norc.org/4byJgeq

GenAI Can Help State Agencies Navigate Policy Change | NORC at the University of Chicago The policy landscape is rapidly evolving. Private, agency‑document generative AI tools can analyze impacts with cited answers—no web search needed.

State agencies using GenAI to navigate policy changes need tools that flag gaps rather than fill them. Abstain rules do exactly that, surfacing what the tool found and deferring to staff when sources fall short.

Find out more: go.norc.org/3NHbVVq

Infographic titled ‘Spotlight on Health’ by NORC at the University of Chicago showing that 58% of U.S. adults think vaccines offer a great deal or quite a bit of health benefit. Perceived benefits vary by age, education, race and ethnicity, and household income, with higher perceived benefit among adults age 60+, those with a bachelor’s degree or higher, and those with household incomes of $100k or more.

Infographic titled ‘Spotlight on Health’ by NORC at the University of Chicago showing perceptions of vaccine health risk. A majority of U.S. adults, 54%, believe vaccines pose little or no health risk, while 18% believe they pose a great deal or moderate risk. Perceived risk varies by age, education, race and ethnicity, and household income.

Infographic titled ‘Spotlight on Health’ by NORC at the University of Chicago showing how well health care providers communicate about vaccines. About 7 in 10 adults say providers communicate very or somewhat well about vaccine benefits (72%) and common side effects (71%), while 56% say the same about possible health risks. Smaller shares say providers communicate poorly or say they are not sure.

Infographic titled ‘Spotlight on Health’ by NORC at the University of Chicago showing perceptions of how accurately health care providers share vaccine information. About half of adults say providers share extremely or very accurate information about vaccine benefits (48%) and common side effects (48%), while 38% say the same about possible health risks. Smaller shares say the information is not too or not at all accurate, and some report not being sure.

A majority of U.S. adults recognize the benefits of vaccines, but only 56% say providers communicate clearly about potential risks, new NORC data show.

View the full findings: go.norc.org/4bwqjJb

This image shows NORC Senior Fellow Rob Meyer smiling in front of banners at the AEFP 2026 conference. The banners thank sponsors and institutional members, listing entities such as Annenberg Institute, RAND, Albert Shanker Institute, and EPIC Institute.

AI can transform how schools use student data, but only if educators can actually understand and act on it. NORC senior fellow Robert Meyer introduced EASE at #AEFP2026, an AI-powered system built to bridge that gap.

Your social media feed is a "digital diet" dictated by algorithms, and it isn’t the same for everyone.

New research from @norc.org ’s Social Data Collaboratory (SDC) reveals massive disparities in food/beverage marketing exposure. 🧵 1/3

This is an image of a report titled "Consumer Perceptions of Health Care Fraud and Wasteful and Unnecessary Care" by NORC at the University of Chicago. The document is dated March 2026 and includes the authors' names: Sai Loganathan, Lateefah Hughes, Tarcisio Johnson, Charles Betely, and James Zimmerman. The report outlines key findings related to adults' awareness of health care fraud in the U.S., and their views on unnecessary medical services. It provides context about rising health care costs and initiatives to reduce fraud and waste. The layout includes sections for context and key findings.

Consumer perspectives on fraud, waste, and abuse in health care are often missing from policy conversations. New NORC data examine what Americans think about unnecessary care, provider incentives, and price transparency.

View the full brief: go.norc.org/4c5qWIX

What Makes State Agencies Good at Using Data? It’s Not What You Think. | NORC at the University of Chicago NORC researchers developed the first empirical framework to measure how well state agencies use data, uncovering insights about what drives success.

In the years after implementing new data systems, state TANF agencies were less likely to show strong data use, NORC research finds. What distinguishes high performers: culture, communication, and leadership.

Find out what that looks like in practice: go.norc.org/4sneHOB

Check out SPARC’s 2025 Year in Review!

- 24 webinars reaching all MD acute care hospitals
- New initiatives on SSIs & pediatric infection prevention
- Continued targeted guidance in antibiotic stewardship

Read more here: maryland-sparc.org/assets/pdf/S...
#QualityImprovement

Graphic that has a small headshot of Luis Sevilla, Senior Research Scientist, International Programs at the top followed by a quote: “As more nations consider age-based social media restrictions, our survey will generate data that inform whether these policies work as intended.” At the bottom, the logo of NORC at the University of Chicago is displayed.

Australia made history as the first country to ban social media for children under 16. NORC captured baseline data before the policy took effect. As governments worldwide consider similar restrictions, Luis Sevilla explains what the data could reveal.

View his full Expert View: go.norc.org/4uGcBem

This image features a headshot of a person with short curly hair at the top. Beneath the portrait is text attributed to Jenny Seelig, a Senior Research Scientist in Education & Child Development, which emphasizes the importance of understanding why adults, including teachers, choose to remain in rural communities in order to support programs that inspire young people to return. The NORC logo is at the bottom.

NORC senior research scientist Jenny Seelig has spent four years conducting three interconnected studies on rural teacher recruitment and retention in Wisconsin, and her research asks a question most workforce studies don't.

Explore her latest Expert View on the findings: go.norc.org/4drt67O