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Alexander Wenz

Postdoctoral Researcher in
Statistics and Social Research Methods

University of Mannheim

Welcome to my website.

I am a Postdoctoral Researcher in Statistics and Social Research Methods at the Professorship for Statistics and Methodology at the University of Mannheim.

I am also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the International Program in Survey and Data Science and a Research Associate at the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex. Prior to joining the University of Mannheim, I was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Essex and a Visiting Scholar at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan.

My research focuses on the quality of innovative data collection methods used in the social sciences, in particular online surveys and passive data collection with smartphone apps and mobile device sensors.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions or are interested in collaboration.

Education

  • Ph.D. Survey Methodology, 2018

    University of Essex

  • B.A. Politics and Public Administration, 2014

    University of Konstanz

Publications

Wenz, A., Jäckle, A., Burton, J., & Couper, M. P. (2020). The effects of personalized feedback on participation and reporting in mobile app data collection. Social Science Computer Review, 1-14.

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Wenz, A., Al Baghal, T., & Gaia, A. (2020). Language proficiency among respondents: implications for data quality in a longitudinal face-to-face survey. Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology, 1-21.

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Bach, R. L., & Wenz, A. (2020). Studying health-related internet and mobile device use using web logs and smartphone records. PLoS ONE 15(6), e0234663.

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Blom, A. G., Cornesse, C., Friedel, S., Krieger, U., Fikel, M., Rettig, T., Wenz, A., Juhl, S., Lehrer, R., Möhring, K., Naumann, E., & Reifenscheid, M. (2020). High-frequency and high-quality survey data collection: The Mannheim Corona Study. Survey Research Methods, 14(2), 171-178.

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Cornesse, C., Blom, A. G., Dutwin, D., Krosnick, J. A., de Leeuw, E. D., Legleye, S., Pasek, J., Pennay, D., Phillips, B., Sakshaug, J. W., Struminskaya, B., & Wenz, A. (2020). A review of conceptual approaches and empirical evidence on probability and nonprobability sample survey research. Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology, 8(1), 4-36.

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Jäckle A., Wenz, A., Burton, J., Couper, M. P. (2019). Increasing participation in a mobile app study: the effects of a sequential mixed-mode design and in-interview invitation. Understanding Society Working Paper, 2019-04.

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Wenz, A. (2019). Do distractions during web survey completion affect data quality? Findings from a laboratory experiment. Social Science Computer Review, 1-14.

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Wenz, A., Jäckle, A., & Couper, M. P. (2019). Willingness to use mobile technologies for data collection in a probability household panel. Survey Research Methods, 13(1), 1-22.

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Allum, N., Conrad, F. G, & Wenz, A. (2018). Consequences of mid-stream mode-switching in a panel survey. Survey Research Methods, 12(1), 43-58.

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Matthews, P., Bell, E., & Wenz, A. (2017). Surveying young people in the smartphone age. Social Research Practice, 5, 2-11.

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Kaczmirek, L., Mayr, P., Vatrapu, R., Bleier, A., Blumenberg, M., Gummer, T., Hussain, A., Kinder-Kurlanda, K., Manshaei, K., Thamm, M., Weller, K., Wenz, A., & Wolf, C. (2014). Social media monitoring of the campaigns for the 2013 German Bundestag elections on Facebook and Twitter. GESIS Working Paper, 2014-31.

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Teaching

University of Mannheim
  • Fundamentals of Survey and Data Science
    6 ECTS M.Sc. Seminar, Mannheim Business School, Fall/Winter 2020; Fall/Winter 2019

  • Empirical Research Practicum II
    10 ECTS B.A. Seminar, School of Social Sciences, Fall/Winter 2020

University of Essex
  • Survey Measurement and Question Design
    10 ECTS M.Sc. Seminar, Department of Sociology, Spring 2019

  • Introduction to Survey Design and Management
    10 ECTS M.Sc. Seminar, Department of Sociology, Autumn 2018

  • Designing Research for Your Data
    Short Course, Big Data and Analytics Summer School, July 2017

Talks

Invited Talks
How to increase participation in mobile app data collection on consumer expenditure?
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Suitland, MD, 2019
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Washington, D.C., 2019
  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, D.C., 2019
Quality of expenditure data collected with a receipt scanning app in a probability household panel
  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, D.C., 2018
  • Westat, Rockville, MD, 2018
  • RTI International, Washington, D.C., 2018
  • JPSM/MPSM Brownbag Seminar, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2018
Do distractions during web survey completion affect data quality? Findings from a laboratory experiment
  • JPSM/MPSM Brownbag Seminar, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2017

Selected Conference Presentations
Linking Twitter and survey data: Quantity and its impact
  • Big Data Meets Survey Science Virtual Conference, 2020 (accepted)
Personalizing interventions with machine learning to reduce panel attrition
  • General Online Research Virtual Conference, 2020
  • American Association for Public Opinion Research Virtual Conference, 2020
Methoden zur Erhöhung der Teilnahme in Bevölkerungsumfragen mit mobiler Datenerhebung
[Methods to increase participation in general population surveys with mobile data collection]
  • German Society for Sociology, Methods of Empirical Social Research Fall Conference,
    Cologne, Germany, 2019
The effects of personalized feedback on participation and reporting in mobile app data collection
  • European Survey Research Association Conference, Zagreb, Croatia, 2019
Quality of expenditure data collected with a receipt scanning app in a probability household panel
  • Big Data Meets Survey Science Conference, Barcelona, Spain, 2018
  • General Online Research Conference, Cologne, Germany, 2018
Do distractions during web survey completion affect data quality? Findings from a laboratory experiment
  • European Survey Research Association Conference, Lisbon, Portugal, 2017
  • German Society for Sociology, Methods of Empirical Social Research Spring Conference,
    Mannheim, Germany, 2017
Willingness to use mobile technologies for data collection in a probability household panel
  • American Association for Public Opinion Research Conference, New Orleans, LA, 2017
How screen size of mobile devices affects data quality in non-mobile-optimised web surveys
  • European Survey Research Association Conference, Reykjavik, Iceland, 2015

Contact

  • +49 (621) 181-2298
  • University of Mannheim
    School of Social Sciences
    Professorship for Statistics and Methodology
    A5, 6
    68131 Mannheim