Senior Research Analyst Steven Sparks, Ph.D., joined Langer Research Associates in 2020. He holds a doctorate in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
His responsibilities include survey project management, questionnaire design, quality control, data analysis, authoring analytical reports and methodological consulting. He has managed national surveys on a wide range of pressing public policy issues, including climate change, COVID-19 vaccines, K-12 public education, book restriction efforts in public schools, perceptions of the value of higher education, and college students’ views on the return to on-campus learning during the pandemic.
Among other roles, Sparks has managed or contributed to several qualitative research projects, using moderated online forums to yield in-depth insights from participants’ personal views and experiences. He also has contributed to exit poll analysis for ABC News in several regular and special elections.
Sparks is the author of several peer-reviewed journal articles, has presented his research at national professional conferences and is an active member of the American Association of Public Opinion Research. Before joining Langer Research, Sparks was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Oklahoma.