Tim Hanson
About
Overview
Tim is a Senior Research Fellow at European Social Survey (ESS) Headquarters, based at City, University of London. He leads the Questionnaire Design and Fieldwork work packages for ESS, having joined the team in November 2019. The ESS is a rigorous comparative biennial survey of changing attitudes and values in over 30 European countries.
Prior to moving to City, Tim was a Research Director at Kantar. Tim spent 15 years at Kantar, where he started his research career as a graduate trainee, after graduating with a BA in Geography and Sociology from the University of Sheffield. During his time at Kantar, he led on design and delivery of numerous social research projects, specialising in attitudinal research, questionnaire development, multi-country projects, and studies for regulatory bodies.
Tim’s research interests include the design/adaptation of surveys based on online/mixed-mode approaches, use of mobile devices for online surveys/mobile-optimised design, item nonresponse, video interviewing, and a range of topics relating to questionnaire design.
He also delivers lectures on questionnaire design and nonresponse as part of City’s Social Research Methods Masters module.
Qualifications
- BA Geography and Sociology, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom, 2000 - 2003
Employment
- Senior Research Fellow, City, University of London, United Kingdom, November 2019 - present
- Research Director, Kantar, July 2004 - November 2019
Expertise
Geographic Areas
- Europe
Publications
Publications by category
Conference papers and proceedings (22)
- Brown, M., Hanson, T., Durrant, G., Koerber, H., Asensio, M., Kocar, S.... Sanchez, C. (2026). Video interviewing in survey research: findings, implications, and future prospects. Survey Futures International Conference 17-18 June, London, UK.
- Hanson, T., Fitzgerald, R. and Reece, N. (2026). Delivering the European Social Survey’s mixed-mode round and preparing for a fully self-completion future. 2026 CSDI Workshop 23-25 March, Vienna.
- Hanson, T., Reece, N., Kavanagh, C., Kirkwood, K., McGuirl, C. and Reaper, L. (2025). Recruiting for a self-completion survey where a hybrid approach is needed: evidence from the European Social Survey Round 12 Pilot in Ireland. 2025 European Survey Research Association Conference 14-18 July, Utrecht, Netherlands.
- Hanson, T., Sommer, E., Dorer, B., Efu Nkong, U. and Schwartz, S. (2025). Questionnaire design of the revised Human Values Scale for cross-cultural surveys. 2025 European Survey Research Association Conference 14-18 July, Utrecht, Netherlands.
- Hanson, T., Fitzgerald, R. and Reece, N. (2025). Transitioning the European Social Survey to a self-completion data collection approach. 2025 CSDI Workshop 7-8 April, Skopje, North Macedonia.
- Hanson, T., Aizpurua, E., Fitzgerald, R. and Vukovic, M. (2024). Surely shorter is better? A questionnaire length experiment in a self-completion survey. 2024 European Social Survey Conference 8-10 July, Lisbon, Portugal.
- O'Muircheartaigh, S., Hanson, T. and Fitzgerald, R. (2023). Challenges and successes of changing mode in a cross-national context: Developing a self-completion approach for the European Social Survey. 2023 European Survey Research Association Conference 17-21 July, Milan.
- Hanson, T., Briceno-Rosas, R. and Mitchell, J. (2023). Video-Assisted Personal Interviewing: Opportunities and Challenges. 2023 European Survey Research Association Conference 17-21 July, Milan, Italy.
- Hanson, T., Fitzgerald, R., Ghirelli, N. and O'Muircheartaigh, S. (2022). Delivering the European Social Survey During COVID-19: reflections and future implications. 2022 AAPOR Annual Conference 11-13 May, Chicago, USA.
- Hanson, T. and Fitzgerald, R. (2022). Developing a self-completion version of the European Social Survey: results from an experiment in Austria. 2022 AAPOR Annual Conference 11-13 May, Chicago, USA.
- Hanson, T. and Martens, M. (2021). An introduction to an integrated survey tool suite for the European Social Survey. 2021 European Survey Research Association Conference 16 July-, Online.
- Hanson, T. (2021). The European Social Survey during COVID-19: using video interviews and other innovations. Annual American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) Conference 11-14 May, Online.
- Hanson, T. (2021). The European Social Survey During COVID-19: impact, challenges and responses. Lithuanian Conference: Methodological challenges of social science research during the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned 4 May-, Online.
- Hanson, T., McGee, A. and Taylor, L.A. (2019). Do we know what to do with "Don't Know"? 2019 European Survey Research Association Conference 15-19 July, Zagreb, Croatia.
- Hanson, T., McGee, A. and Taylor, L.A. (2019). Do we know what to do with “Don’t Know”? 2019 General Online Research Conference 7-8 March, Cologne, Germany.
- Hanson, T. (2017). How Should We Adapt Questionnaires for Smartphones: Evidence from UK Surveys and an Experiment on Grids. 17-21 July.
- Bell, E., Mathews, P., Wenz, A. and Hanson, T. (2017). Does mobile web survey completion affect response quality amongst young people? Evidence from the second Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE2). 2017 European Survey Research Association Conference 17-21 July, Lisbon.
- McGee, A. and Hanson, T. (2017). Usability testing as a method for evaluating self-completion survey instruments; what have we learned in practice and where do we go next? 2017 European Survey Research Association Conference 17-21 July, Lisbon.
- Hanson, T. (2017). Adapting Questionnaire for Smartphones: An Experiment on Grid Format Questions. 2017 General Online Research Conference 15-17 March, Berlin.
- Hanson, T. (2016). How Should We Adapt Complex Social Research Questionnaires for Mobile Devices? Evidence from UK Surveys and Experiments. 2016 International Conference on Questionnaire Design, Development, Evaluation, and Testing (QDET2) 9-13 November, Miami, USA.
- Hanson, T., Matthews, P. and Wenz, A. (2015). Towards device agnostic survey design: challenges and opportunities for Understanding Society. 2015 Understanding Society Scientific Conference 21-23 July, University of Essex.
- Hanson, T. The European Social Survey during COVID-19: using video interviews and other innovations. 3rd Annual Likert Workshop Surveys in the Era of the Pandemic.
Journal articles (7)
- Conrad, F.G., Hupp, A.L., Hanson, T. and Durrant, G.B. (2026). Editorial Introduction: Video Survey Interviewing Special Issue. methods, data, analyses, 20(1), pp. 6-20
- Sommer, E., Dorer, B., Efu Nkong, U., Hanson, T., Zinn, S. and Schwartz, S.H. (2025). Revision and Cross-cultural Adaptation of the Human Values Scale for Self-completion Modes. Survey Practice, 18(1), pp. 1-8. doi:10.29115/sp-2025-0017
- Hanson, T., Aizpurua, E., Fitzgerald, R. and Vukovic, M. (2025). Surely Shorter is Better? A Questionnaire Length Experiment in a Self-Completion Survey. Survey Research Methods, 19(2), pp. 139-152. doi:10.18148/srm/2025.v19i2.8348
- Hanson, T., Briceno-Rosas, R., Ainsaar, M. and Kartau, H.K. (2025). Live Online Video Interviewing as a Complementary Mode to In-Person Interviews: Evidence from the European Social Survey. methods, data, analyses. doi:10.25521/mda.663
- Maslovskaya, O., Durrant, G.B., Smith, P.W.F., Hanson, T. and Villar, A. (2019). What are the Characteristics of Respondents using Different Devices in Mixed‐device Online Surveys? Evidence from Six UK Surveys. International Statistical Review, 87(2), pp. 326-346. doi:10.1111/insr.12311
- Hanson, T. and Matthews, P. (2017). Adapting survey design for smartphones: lessons from usability testing and survey implementation. Social Research Practice, (3 (Win), pp. 37-44
- Hanson, T. (2015). Comparing agreement and item-specific response scales: results from an experiment. Social Research Practice, (1 (Win), pp. 17-25
Working papers (2)
- (2019). Understanding Society Innovation Panel Wave 11: results from methodological experiments (2019).
- (2018). Understanding Society Innovation Panel Wave 10: results from methodological experiments (2018).
Other
- Brown, M., Hanson, T., Asensio, M., Cornesse, C., Wood, M., Spencer, S.... Durrant, G.(2025). Survey Practice Guide 4: Video Interviewing.
Professional activities
Events/conferences (3)
-
Third Annual Likert Workshop: Surveys in the Era of the Pandemic and Beyond. (Workshop) Online (2020).
Paper: The European Social Survey during COVID - using video interviews and other innovations
Author: Hanson, T. -
ESS-City-NatCen Survey Methodology Seminar Series. (Seminar) London, UK (2019).
Paper: How should we present 'Don't know' options in web surveys?
Author: Hanson, T.
Co-authors: Steen, B.; Thom, J. -
ESS-City-NatCen Survey Methodology Seminar Series. (Seminar) London, UK (2018).
Paper: Completing social surveys on smartphones: what should we be worried about?
Author: Hanson, T.
Co-authors: McGee, A.; Matthews, P.