Christopher Hansen

Senior Research Methodologist

Methodology & Quantitative Social Sciences

Christopher is a survey methodologist with expertise in questionnaire design, testing, and implementation.

Christopher Hansen is a senior 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 mixed-mode data collection and contacting, 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 measurement development and testing for general population survey studies. His current work explores methodologies for the collection of demographic information, including multidimensional measurement, longitudinal data collection, and proxy reporting.

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. This also 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, and the Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine. His published work appears in leading survey methods and health science journals. Prior to NORC, he held research and evaluation roles in nonprofit, university, and government settings.