ICPSR's Michael Traugott is Recipient of the 2024 Warren J. Mitofsky Award for Excellence in Public Opinion Research
The Board of Directors of the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at Cornell University has announced Michael Traugott, Professor Emeritus of Communication and Political Science at the University of Michigan, as the recipient of the 2024 Warren J. Mitofsky Award for Excellence in Public Opinion Research.
Traugott was the interim director of the ICPSR Summer Program from 2019 to 2022. He oversaw the shift to a fully online program, and instituted several changes to the program, including opening applications for teaching assistants to anyone, and expanding and diversifying the instructional staff.
This award recognizes Traugott’s lifetime contributions to the field of public opinion, particularly his role in advancing the theory and methods in studying public opinion across numerous contexts; upholding the standards by which public opinion research is conducted; and promoting the understanding and education of public opinion research among the public, the media, and policymakers. Through his contributions and service to the field, Traugott’s unparalleled career and impact have embodied the Roper Center’s mission to improve the practice of survey research and broaden global understanding of public opinion through the use of survey data.
As a political scientist, Michael Traugott has published extensively in the areas of campaigns and elections, voting behavior, political communication, the use of polls to construct news, and survey methodology. He is a frequent resource for journalists interested in discussing American political campaigns and government operations.
Traugott’s role in promoting education about public opinion research is particularly important at a time when the accuracy and validity of polls have come under attack. Within the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), he was instrumental in establishing its Education Committee and served as a member of the committee for a decade. His book, The Voter’s Guide to Election Polls, coauthored with Paul Lavrakas and now in its sixth edition, educates the public on how campaigns and media organizations use polls as well as foregrounds the latest technologies used for data collection and analysis.
Traugott’s leadership in the field includes serving as president of AAPOR, the World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR), and the Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research (MAPOR), each of which has bestowed upon him its highest honor. In 2002, he was selected as MAPOR Fellow; in 2010, he received the AAPOR Award for Exceptionally Distinguished Achievement; and in 2018, he received WAPOR’s Helen Dinerman Award for particularly significant contributions to public opinion and survey methodology.
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May 10, 2024