The Survey Methodology Program (SMP) was established within SRC in 1992 with the explicit aim of creating a multidisciplinary team to focus on research methodology.  Thus, the SMP draws upon a range of disciplines including social psychology, cognitive psychology, sociology, statistics, and computer science.

The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) is a long-running study that examines middle-aged and older adults in the US, producing data that is used both domestically and internationally. As a panel survey, HRS follows approximately 20,000 U.S. adults, some of whom have participated in the study for 30 years, through the retirement and aging process.