This comprehensive report details the rigorous methodology employed for Wave 191 of the American Trends Panel (ATP), Pew Research Center’s nationally representative survey of U.S. adults. Conducted from April 6-12, 2026, this wave aimed to capture nuanced public opinion with a robust sample size and advanced statistical techniques, including oversampling of key demographic and religious groups. The findings of this survey, while not explicitly detailed in the provided text, are built upon a foundation of meticulous data collection and analysis, reflecting Pew Research Center’s commitment to providing reliable insights into American society.
Overview of Wave 191
Wave 191 achieved an impressive survey-level response rate of 95%, with 3,592 panelists responding out of 3,775 who were sampled. This high engagement is a testament to the established trust and operational efficiency of the American Trends Panel. The cumulative response rate, accounting for recruitment and attrition, stands at 3%, a figure reflective of the challenges inherent in maintaining a panel over time. However, the break-off rate among panelists who logged on and completed at least one item was less than 1%, indicating strong participant engagement once a survey begins. The margin of sampling error for the full sample of 3,592 respondents is plus or minus 1.9 percentage points, a narrow range that allows for precise estimations of public sentiment.
To ensure greater accuracy and provide more detailed insights into smaller but significant demographic and religious segments of the population, Wave 191 incorporated oversamples of non-Hispanic Asian adults, White evangelical Protestants who attend church monthly, White non-evangelical Protestants who attend church monthly, Black Protestants who attend church monthly, and Catholics who attend church monthly. These oversampled groups are subsequently weighted back to their correct proportions within the broader U.S. adult population, ensuring that the overall findings accurately represent the nation while allowing for robust analysis of these specific subgroups.
The survey was administered by SSRS on behalf of Pew Research Center, utilizing a mixed-mode approach. A significant majority of respondents, 3,491, participated via online interviews, while 101 completed the survey through live telephone interviews. Interviews were conducted in both English and Spanish to accommodate a wider range of participants. Further details on the ATP and its ongoing operations can be found in the dedicated resource, "About the American Trends Panel."
Panel Recruitment: A Foundation of Address-Based Sampling
Since 2018, the ATP has relied on address-based sampling (ABS) for its recruitment efforts. This methodology involves mailing a study cover letter and a pre-incentive to a stratified, random sample of households selected from the U.S. Postal Service’s Computerized Delivery Sequence File. This file is estimated to cover between 90% and 98% of the U.S. population, providing a comprehensive sampling frame. Within each selected household, the adult with the next birthday is identified and invited to participate. While the specific details of the ABS recruitment protocol have evolved since 2018, they remain available upon request. Prior to 2018, the ATP was recruited through landline and cellphone random-digit-dial surveys.
The ATP has been actively recruiting a national sample of U.S. adults annually since 2014. In certain years, to enhance the precision of data for underrepresented groups, recruitment has included targeted oversampling efforts. For instance, Hispanic adults were oversampled in 2019, Black adults in 2022, and Asian adults in 2023, demonstrating a continuous effort to refine the panel’s representativeness.
Sample Design: Stratified Random Sampling and Oversampling
The target population for Wave 191 comprised non-institutionalized individuals aged 18 and older residing in the United States. The sample design was a stratified random sample drawn from the ATP. This approach ensured that specific demographic and religious groups were adequately represented. As mentioned, the oversampled groups included:
- Non-Hispanic Asian adults
- White evangelical Protestants who attend church monthly
- White non-evangelical Protestants who attend church monthly
- Black Protestants who attend church monthly
- Catholics who attend church monthly
The remaining panelists were selected at rates designed to maintain proportionality with their representation in the broader U.S. adult population across various strata. The weighting process, detailed below, further adjusts for any differential probabilities of selection, ensuring the final dataset accurately reflects national demographics.
Questionnaire Development and Testing: Ensuring Accuracy and Reliability
The questionnaire for Wave 191 was a collaborative effort, developed by Pew Research Center in close consultation with SSRS. The online survey platform underwent rigorous testing by both the SSRS project team and Pew Research Center researchers. This testing was conducted on various devices, including PCs and mobile phones, to ensure a seamless user experience and to identify any potential technical issues. Furthermore, the SSRS team populated test data that was thoroughly analyzed using SPSS to verify the logic and randomizations within the survey instrument before its official launch. This meticulous approach to questionnaire design and testing is fundamental to producing high-quality, reliable data.
Incentives: Encouraging Participation
To acknowledge the valuable time and effort of its panelists, all respondents in Wave 191 were offered a post-paid incentive for their participation. Participants had the flexibility to choose their incentive in the form of a check or a gift code redeemable at Amazon.com, Target.com, or Walmart.com. The value of these incentives ranged from $5 to $15, with differential amounts strategically applied based on how easily a respondent group is typically reached. This tiered incentive structure is designed to bolster survey participation rates among groups that historically exhibit lower response propensities, thereby enhancing the overall representativeness of the panel.
Data Collection Protocol: A Multi-Channel Approach
The data collection period for Wave 191 spanned from April 6 to April 12, 2026. The survey was administered through two primary channels: self-administered web surveys and live telephone interviews.
For panelists who participated online, a multi-stage notification process was employed. Postcard notifications were mailed to a subset of panelists on April 6, initiating the process. Survey invitations were then distributed through two distinct launches: a soft launch and a full launch. The soft launch involved 60 panelists and began with an initial invitation sent on April 6. The full launch, encompassing all remaining English- and Spanish-speaking sampled online panelists, commenced with an invitation sent on April 7.
Online participants received an email invitation to access the survey. For those who did not initially respond, up to two email reminders were sent. Panelists who had previously consented to receive SMS messages were also sent an SMS invitation containing a direct link to the survey, followed by up to two SMS reminders if necessary. This layered communication strategy aims to maximize response rates while respecting participant preferences.
For panelists who opted for telephone interviews with a live interviewer, prenotification postcards were mailed on April 3. A soft launch for phone surveys commenced on April 6, with interviewers dialing numbers until a total of five interviews were successfully completed. Subsequently, the numbers of all remaining English- and Spanish-speaking sampled phone panelists were dialed throughout the remainder of the field period. Panelists participating via telephone could receive up to six calls from trained SSRS interviewers, a standard protocol to ensure adequate attempts are made to reach respondents.
Data Quality Checks: Upholding Integrity
Pew Research Center places a paramount emphasis on data quality. To ensure the integrity of the Wave 191 dataset, researchers conducted thorough data quality checks. These checks were designed to identify any respondents exhibiting patterns of satisficing, such as leaving a disproportionately high number of questions blank or consistently selecting the first or last option presented in a list. As a result of these diligent checks, three ATP respondents were excluded from the survey dataset prior to the weighting and analysis phases, ensuring that the final findings are based on the responses of engaged and thoughtful participants.
Weighting: Adjusting for Representation and Nonresponse
The weighting process for ATP data is a sophisticated, multi-stage procedure designed to account for various sources of sampling and nonresponse bias. Each panelist begins with a base weight that reflects their initial probability of recruitment into the panel. These base weights are then calibrated to align with established population benchmarks, as detailed in the accompanying table. This calibration corrects for nonresponse that may occur during the recruitment phase and for attrition (panelists leaving the panel over time).
If a subsample of panelists was invited to participate in a particular wave, the weight is further adjusted to reflect any differential probabilities of selection among those invited. Among the panelists who successfully completed the survey, the weight is again calibrated to align with population benchmarks, as presented in the table. To mitigate the impact of extreme weights on the precision of estimates, weights are trimmed at the 1st and 99th percentiles. This trimming process helps to reduce variance in the weights without significantly compromising the representativeness of the data. Sampling errors and tests of statistical significance are calculated while taking into account the effects of this comprehensive weighting procedure.
The accompanying tables provide crucial information regarding sample sizes and the margin of error at the 95% confidence level for various groups within the survey. These figures are essential for interpreting the precision of the survey estimates. Sample sizes and sampling errors for other specific subgroups can be made available upon request. Beyond sampling error, it is important to acknowledge that other factors, such as question wording and practical challenges encountered during survey administration, can introduce additional error or bias into the findings of opinion polls.
Dispositions and Response Rates: A Detailed Breakdown
The provided figures illustrate the final dispositions for ATP Wave 191, offering a transparent view of how the initial sample was processed. This includes details on the number of respondents who completed the survey, those who were deemed ineligible, and those who were not reached. The cumulative response rate is also presented, providing a holistic measure of the panel’s engagement and the overall success of the data collection effort. These detailed metrics underscore the commitment to transparency and methodological rigor that characterizes Pew Research Center’s research practices.
