Research Professor, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research and Adjunct Lecturer in Curriculum Support, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

Biography
Dr. Wagner is a survey statistician. His research is in the areas of responsive or adaptive design, nonresponse bias, and data quality measures. He also develops and implements responsive design plans on large surveys.
Projects
Funded Research
- A More Efficient Web-Based Approach to Collecting National Family, Fertility and Reproductive Health Data
- Advancing the Science of Responsive Design Using Bayesian Methodology
- Exploring Design Aspects of Web-Based Respondent-Driven Sampling for Racial/Ethnic Minorities
- Improving Reproducibility of Respondent Driven Sampling through Adaptive Design
- National Survey of Family Growth (Continuous NSFG)
- Responsive Design for Efficient Survey Data Collection: An Education Program
- STARRS Longitudinal Study (STARRS LS)
Publications
- Tuba Suzer Gurtekin, Wagner,James Robert, Olson, Kristen , Smyth, Jolene D, Horwitz, Rachel , Keeter, Scott , Lesser, Virginia , Marken, Stephanie , Mathiowetz, Nancy A, McCarthy, Jaki S, O'Brien, Eileen , Opsomer, Jean D, Steiger, Darby , Sterrett, David , Su, Jennifer , Turakhia, Chintan . 2021. Transitions From Telephone Surveys to Self-Administered and Mixed-Mode Surveys: Aapor Task Force Report. Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology 9(3):381-411.
- Axinn,William G, Wagner,James Robert, Mick Couper, Scott Crawford. 2021. Applying Responsive Survey Design to Small-Scale Surveys: Campus Surveys of Sexual Misconduct. Sociological Methods & Research
- Kessler,Ronald C, Heeringa,Steven G, Wagner,James Robert, House,Meredith A, Lewandowski-Romps,Lisa M, Gebler, Nancy J., Zuromski, Kelly L, Bernecker, Samantha L, Chu, Carol , Wilks, Chelsey R, Gutierrez, Peter M, Joiner, Thomas E, Liu, Howard , Naifeh, James A, Nock, Matthew K, Sampson, Nancy A, Zaslavsky, Alan M, Stein, Murray B, Ursano, Robert J, Cox, Kenneth , Aliaga, Pablo A, Benedek, David M, Campbell-Sills, Laura , Fullerton, Carol S, Gifford, Robert K, Hurwitz, Paul E, Jain, Sonia , Kao, Tzu-Cheg , Mash, Holly Herberman, McCarroll, James E, Hinz Ng, Tsz Hin, Santiago, Patcho , Wynn, Gary H. 2020. Pre-deployment predictors of suicide attempt during and after combat deployment: Results from the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers. Journal of Psychiatric Research 121:214-221.
- West,Brady Thomas, Elliott,Michael R, Mneimneh, Zeina Nazih, Wagner,James Robert, Peytchev, Andy , Trappmann, Mark . 2020. An Examination of an Interviewer-Respondent Matching Protocol in a Longitudinal CATI Study. Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology 8(2):304-324.
- Olson, Kristen, Wagner,James Robert, Anderson, Raeda. 2020. Survey Costs: Where are We and What is The Way Forward?. Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology
- Wagner,James Robert, West,Brady Thomas, Elliott,Michael R, Stephanie Coffey. 2020. Comparing the Ability of Regression Modeling and Bayesian Additive Regression Trees to Predict Costs in a Responsive Survey Design Context. Journal of Official Statistics 36(4):907-931.
- Stephanie Coffey, West,Brady Thomas, Wagner,James Robert, Elliott,Michael R. 2020. What Do You Think? Using Expert Opinion to Improve Predictions of Response Propensity Under a Bayesian Framework. methods, data, analyses 14(2)
- Wagner,James Robert, Guyer, Heidi, Evanchek, Chrissy. 2020. Using Time Series Models to Understand Survey Costs. Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology
- Wagner,James Robert, Mick Couper, Axinn,William G, Heather Gatny. 2019. The utility of a follow-up interview for respondents to a longitudinal survey with frequent measurement. Social Science Research 82:113-125.
- Wagner,James Robert, Stoop, Ineke A. L.. 2018. Comparing Nonresponse and Nonresponse Biases in Multinational, Multiregional, and Multicultural Contexts. Advances in Comparative Survey Methods: Multinational, Multiregional, and Multicultural Contexts (3MC) :807-833.
- Wagner,James Robert, Schouten, Barry , Mushkudiani, Nino , Shlomo, Natalie , Durrant, Gabi , Lundquist, Peter . 2018. A Bayesian Analysis of Design Parameters in Survey Data Collection. Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology 6(4):431-464.
- Wagner,James Robert, Walejko, Gina . 2018. A Study of Interviewer Compliance in 2013 and 2014 Census Test Adaptive Designs. Journal of Official Statistics 34(3):649-670.
- Mick Couper, Axinn,William G, Wagner,James Robert, West,Brady Thomas, Guyer, Heidi Marie, Gremel, Garret . 2018. New options for national population surveys: The implications of internet and smartphone coverage. Social Science Research 73:221-235.
- Wagner,James Robert, Olson, Kristen . 2018. An Analysis of Interviewer Travel and Field Outcomes in Two Field Surveys. Journal of Official Statistics 34(1):211-237.
- Wagner,James Robert, Schouten, Barry , Peytchev, Andy . 2017. Adaptive Survey Design.
- Wagner,James Robert, Edgar,Minako Kimura, Olson, Kristen . 2017. The Utility of GPS data in Assessing Interviewer Travel Behavior and Errors in Level-of-Effort Paradata. Survey Research Methods 11(3)
- Wagner,James Robert, McCarthy, Jaki , Sanders, Herschel Lisette. 2017. The Impact of Targeted Data Collection on Nonresponse Bias in an Establishment Survey: A Simulation Study of Adaptive Survey Design. Journal of Official Statistics 33(3):857-871.
- Lee,Sunghee, Wagner,James Robert, Private: Valliant, Richard L. 2017. Total Survey Error and Respondent Driven Sampling: Focus on Nonresponse and Measurement Errors in the Recruitment Process and the Network Size Reports and Implications for Inferences. Journal of Official Statistics 33(2):335-366.
- Wagner,James Robert, West,Brady Thomas, Burton,Paul, Guyer, Heidi Marie, Kelley, Jennifer , Mosher, William D. 2017. The Effects of a Mid-Data Collection Change in Financial Incentives on Total Survey Error in the National Survey of Family Growth. Total Survey Error in Practice :155-178.
- Wagner,James Robert, Schroeder,Heather Marie, Piskorowski,Andrew, Robert J. Ursano, Murray B. Stein, Heeringa,Steven G, Lisa J. Colpe. 2017. Timing the Mode Switch in a Sequential Mixed-Mode Survey: An Experimental Evaluation of the Impact on Final Response Rates, Key Estimates, and Costs. Social Science Computer Review 35(2):262-276.
- Wagner,James Robert, Elliott,Michael R. 2016. Alternative Indicators for the Risk of Non-response Bias: A Simulation Study. International Statistical Review 84(1):43-62.
- Wagner,James Robert, Laflamme, Francois . 2016. Responsive and Adaptive Designs. Sage Handbook of Survey Methodology :397.
- Wagner,James Robert, Schouten, Barry , Cobben, Fannie , Lundquist, Peter . 2016. Does more balanced survey response imply less non-response bias?. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society) 179(3):727-748.
- Wagner,James Robert, Schroeder,Heather Marie, Piskorowski,Andrew, Heeringa,Steven G, Ursano, Robert J, Stein, Murray B, Colpe, Lisa J. 2016. Timing the Mode Switch in a Sequential Mixed-Mode Survey: An Experimental Evaluation of the Impact on Final Response Rates, Key Estimates, and Costs. Social Science Computer Review
- Axinn,William G, Heather Gatny, Wagner,James Robert. 2015. Maximizing Data Quality using Mode Switching in Mixed-Device Survey Design: Nonresponse Bias and Models of Demographic Behavior. Methoden, Daten, Analysen 9(2):163-184.
- Wagner,James Robert, Olson, Kristin . 2015. A feasibility test of using smartphones to collect GPS information in face-to-face surveys. Survey Research Methods 9
- West,Brady Thomas, Wagner,James Robert, Hubbard, Frost , Gu, Haoyu , Welch, K B, Galecki, A T. 2015. The Utility Of Alternative Commercial Data Sources for Survey Operations and Estimation: Evidence from the National Survey of Family Growth. Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology 3(2):240-264.
- Wagner,James Robert, Hubbard, Frost . 2014. Producing Unbiased Estimates of Propensity Models During Data Collection. Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology 2(3):323-342.
- Wagner,James Robert, Arrieta,Jennifer, Mary Beth Ofstedal, Guyer, Heidi Marie. 2014. Does Sequence Matter in Multimode Surveys: Results from an Experiment. Field Methods 26(2):141-155.
- Wagner,James Robert, Tomlin, Daniel, Pennell, Beth-Ellen, Deshmukh, Y , Kelley, P , Maher, Mary P. 2014. Diaster Research: Surveying displaced populations. Hard-to-survey populations :111-133.
- Lee,Sunghee, Wagner,James Robert, Heeringa,Steven G, Private: Valliant, Richard L. 2014. Recent developments of sampling hard-to-reach populuations: An assessment. Hard-to-survey populations :424-444.
- Wagner,James Robert, Private: Valliant, Richard L, Hubbard, Frost , Jiang, Li . 2014. Level-Of-Effort Paradata and Nonresponse Adjustment Models for a National Face-To-Face Survey. Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology 2(4):410-432.
- Wagner,James Robert, Lee,Sunghee. 2014. Sampling Rare Populations. Handbook of Health Survey Methods :77-104.
- Wagner,James Robert. 2013. Using Paradata-Driven Models to Improve Contact Rates in Telephone and Face-to-Face Surveys. Improving Surveys with Paradata: Analytic Use of Process Information :145-170.
- Wagner,James Robert. 2013. Adaptive Contact Strategies in Telephone and Face-to-Face Surveys. Survey Research Methods 7(1):45-55.
- Wagner,James Robert, Iwashyna,Theodore, Kahn, Joan Rae. 2013. Reasons underlying interhospital transfers to an academic medical intensive care unit. Journal of Critical Care 28(2):202-208. PMCID: PMC3554843.
- Lepkowski,James M, West,Brady Thomas, Wagner,James Robert, Groves, Robert M., Mosher, William D, Gu, Haley . 2013. Responsive Design, Weighting, and Variance Estimation in the 2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth. Vital and health statistics. Series 2: Data evaluation and methods research 2(158)
- Wagner,James Robert. 2012. A Comparison of Alternative Indicators for the Risk of Nonresponse Bias. Public opinion quarterly 76(3):555-575.
- Wagner,James Robert, West,Brady Thomas, Kirgis,Nicole G, Lepkowski,James M, Axinn,William G, Kruger Ndiaye, Shonda . 2012. Use of Paradata in a Responsive Design Framework to Manage a Field Data Collection. Journal of Official Statistics 28(4):477-499.
- Wagner,James Robert. 2010. The fraction of missing information as a tool for monitoring the quality of survey data. Public opinion quarterly 74(2):223-243.
- Kreuter,Frauke, Wagner,James Robert, Yan,Ting, Raghunathan,Trivellore E, Peytchev, Andrey A., Groves, Robert M., Olson, K , Ezzati-Rice, T M, Casas-Cordero, C , Lemay, M . 2010. Using proxy measures and other correlates of survey outcomes to adjust for non-response: examples from multiple surveys. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A: Statistics in Society 173(2):389-407.
- Wagner,James Robert, Raghunathan,Trivellore E. 2010. A new stopping rule for surveys. Statistics in medicine 29(9):1014-1024.
- Heeringa,Steven G, Wagner,James Robert, Berglund, Patricia A., Torres, Myriam , Duan, Naihua , Adams, Terry . 2004. Sample Designs and Sampling Methods for the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Studies (Cpes). International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research 13(4):221-240.