Christopher Hansen is a research methodologist in the Methodology and Quantitative Social Sciences Department at NORC at the University of Chicago. He has extensive experience in the areas of survey and questionnaire design, cognitive and usability testing, and multi-mode data collection, including web, telephone, and in-person modes. He has advised NORC clients in the federal, corporate, and nonprofit sectors on issues related to data quality and measurement error, the use of emerging technologies to engage hard-to-survey groups, and considerations for data collection in English and Spanish. Hansen’s research focuses on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) measurement in the context of sexual and gender minority (SGM) and general population survey studies. His current work explores multidimensional measurement of gender, longitudinal SOGI data collection, and SOGI proxy reporting. He is particularly interested in how SGM status intersects with other systems of stratification, including age, race, and ethnicity.

Since joining NORC in 2018, Hansen has worked as a methodologist on studies such as the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods with Harvard University, the National Domestic Workers Alliance Labs Methodology Review, and the Paraguay Democracy and Governance Project with USAID. This includes three survey studies with the CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health: the Survey of Today’s Adolescent Relationships and Transitions, the COVID Experiences Longitudinal Surveys, and the Teen and Parent Surveys of Health.

Hansen teaches university courses in sociology and has presented on topics related to survey methodology at national conferences, including the American Association for Public Opinion Research, American Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management, the Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine, and the National LGBTQ Health Conference. Prior to NORC, he held research and evaluation roles in nonprofit, university, and government settings.