Brady West
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bradytwest.bsky.social
Brady West
@bradytwest.bsky.social
1K followers 280 following 330 posts

Research Professor @ Univ. of MI Institute for Social Research (ISR) and Department of Biostatistics. Usually discussing statistics, surveys, sports, music, and leadership. Personal website: www.umich.edu/~bwest

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Brady Thomas West is an American statistician, academic and author. He is a research professor in the Survey Methodology Program (SMP) at the Survey Research Center (SRC) in the Institute for Social Research (ISR), and a research professor in the Department of Biostatistics within the School of Public Health, both at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He also serves as an Adjunct Research Professor in the Joint Program in Survey Methodology (JPSM) at the University of Maryland, College Park and as an Adjunct Instructor at the Odum Institute for Research in Social Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. .. more

Sociology 18%
Mathematics 18%
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bradytwest.bsky.social
Brady West @bradytwest.bsky.social · 1d
Same. Let’s get it done.

Reposted by Florian Keusch

bradytwest.bsky.social
Brady West @bradytwest.bsky.social · 3d
We are hiring a Research Assistant Professor within the Survey Methodology Program, located in the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. Click on the link below for more details, and join an outstanding group of faculty!

apply.interfolio.com/179362
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com

bradytwest.bsky.social
Brady West @bradytwest.bsky.social · 7d
One of the best pieces of analytic software out there is about to get a makeover! 💯
rogierk.bsky.social rogier kievit @rogierk.bsky.social · 8d
I've used Lavaan almost every (work)day for 15 years, but this open source labour of love has never received proper institutional support. I'm delighted to be a small part of an 1.5M OpenScienceNL award, led by Jorgensen, to completely revamp and futureproof Lavaan www.openscience.nl/en/news/45-p...

Reposted by Dorothy Bishop, Brady T. West, Richard McElreath , and 3 more

rogierk.bsky.social
rogier kievit @rogierk.bsky.social · 8d
I've used Lavaan almost every (work)day for 15 years, but this open source labour of love has never received proper institutional support. I'm delighted to be a small part of an 1.5M OpenScienceNL award, led by Jorgensen, to completely revamp and futureproof Lavaan www.openscience.nl/en/news/45-p...

bradytwest.bsky.social
Brady West @bradytwest.bsky.social · 8d
A fantastic new article on state-of-the-art approaches for chi-square tests with complex sample survey data. It is absolutely crucial to account for sample design features when testing for associations, and this article provides background, evaluation, and code.

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Much Ado About Survey Tables: A Comparison of Chi-Square Tests and Software to Analyze Categorical Survey Data
Chi-square tests are often employed to examine the association of categorical variables, the homogeneity of proportions between two or more samples, and the goodness-of-fit for a specified distribu...
www.tandfonline.com

bradytwest.bsky.social
Brady West @bradytwest.bsky.social · 9d
*rational (idiot)

Rationale scientists are not a thing. Although maybe they should be? 😂

bradytwest.bsky.social
Brady West @bradytwest.bsky.social · 9d
Add this to the list of rationale scientists reading about synthetic sampling and saying “uhhh….what?” 🙄

I really hope that peer reviewers do not accept this as normal practice. This is just so dangerous.
sabrinanorwood.bsky.social Sabrina Norwood @sabrinanorwood.bsky.social · 9d
Did you know that from tomorrow, Qualtrics is offering synthetic panels (AI-generated participants)?

Follow me down a rabbit hole I'm calling "doing science is tough and I'm so busy, can't we just make up participants?"
Text reads: About synthetic panels Recruiting the right participants for a study can be difficult. You may not get the exact demographics you need, and the shorter the deadline, the less sure you can be that everyone will answer on time. One possible solution can be to use synthetic panels. Synthetic panels are powered by a first party proprietary AI model developed here at Qualtrics. Our synthetic panel is trained on thousands of responses from a variety of demographic backgrounds in order to more accurately predict how certain populations would respond to a survey. Our synthetic panel is based on the United States General Population, and is only available in English. This panel comes with ready-made quotas and target breakouts in order to represent your chosen population and make it easy to launch your survey right away. Text reads: Question-writing best practices To get the most reliable and actionable results from synthetic audiences, consider these question-writing best practices: Ask forward-looking and attitudinal questions. Synthetic panels perform best with perceptions, preferences, and intent-based questions. For example, “How likely are you to try…?” Synthetic panels are less applicable for studies on past behaviors, detailed recall, brand recall, or awareness questions. For example, “When did you last visit…?” Text reads: Discussion The current study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis of the TPB when applied to health behaviours which addressed the limitations of previous reviews by including only prospective tests of behaviour, applying RE meta-analytic procedures, correcting correlations for sampling and measurement error, and hierarchically analysing the effect of behaviour type and sample and methodological moderators. Some 237 tests were identified which examined relations amongst model components. Overall the analysis indicated that the TPB could explain 19.3% of the variance in behaviour and 44.3% of the variance in intention across studies. This level of prediction of behaviour is slightly lower than that of previous meta-analytic reviews which have found between 27% (Armitage & Conner, 2001; Hagger et al., 2002) and 36% (Trafimow et al., 2002) of the variance in behaviour to be explained by intention and PBC.

Reposted by Robert Böhm, Brady T. West, Brendan Nyhan , and 43 more

sabrinanorwood.bsky.social
Sabrina Norwood @sabrinanorwood.bsky.social · 9d
Did you know that from tomorrow, Qualtrics is offering synthetic panels (AI-generated participants)?

Follow me down a rabbit hole I'm calling "doing science is tough and I'm so busy, can't we just make up participants?"
Text reads: About synthetic panels Recruiting the right participants for a study can be difficult. You may not get the exact demographics you need, and the shorter the deadline, the less sure you can be that everyone will answer on time. One possible solution can be to use synthetic panels. Synthetic panels are powered by a first party proprietary AI model developed here at Qualtrics. Our synthetic panel is trained on thousands of responses from a variety of demographic backgrounds in order to more accurately predict how certain populations would respond to a survey. Our synthetic panel is based on the United States General Population, and is only available in English. This panel comes with ready-made quotas and target breakouts in order to represent your chosen population and make it easy to launch your survey right away. Text reads: Question-writing best practices To get the most reliable and actionable results from synthetic audiences, consider these question-writing best practices: Ask forward-looking and attitudinal questions. Synthetic panels perform best with perceptions, preferences, and intent-based questions. For example, “How likely are you to try…?” Synthetic panels are less applicable for studies on past behaviors, detailed recall, brand recall, or awareness questions. For example, “When did you last visit…?” Text reads: Discussion The current study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis of the TPB when applied to health behaviours which addressed the limitations of previous reviews by including only prospective tests of behaviour, applying RE meta-analytic procedures, correcting correlations for sampling and measurement error, and hierarchically analysing the effect of behaviour type and sample and methodological moderators. Some 237 tests were identified which examined relations amongst model components. Overall the analysis indicated that the TPB could explain 19.3% of the variance in behaviour and 44.3% of the variance in intention across studies. This level of prediction of behaviour is slightly lower than that of previous meta-analytic reviews which have found between 27% (Armitage & Conner, 2001; Hagger et al., 2002) and 36% (Trafimow et al., 2002) of the variance in behaviour to be explained by intention and PBC.

Reposted by Brady T. West

um-src.bsky.social
UM SRC @um-src.bsky.social · 13d
🧪With global mental health challenges rising, rigorous data tools matter more than ever. @yajuansi.bsky.social, James Wagner & Ronald Kessler urge combining online panel surveys with high-quality probability samples for valid, practical studies. Details: myumi.ch/dgDP1
Surveys in Psychiatric Epidemiological Research
This Special Communication examines the biases and operational problems of surveys used in psychiatric epidemiological research to develop a standard for using nonprobability and probability-based onl...
myumi.ch

Reposted by Brady T. West

umisr.bsky.social
Institute for Social Research (ISR) - University of Michigan @umisr.bsky.social · 14d
New U-M survey led by ISR’s Bob Marans and Noah Webster with the Graham Sustainability Institute found that nearly 6,000 students, faculty, and staff across all three campuses report strong engagement with sustainable behaviors and climate awareness.

Read more: myumi.ch/y1Wy8
Infographic titled "Sustainability Cultural Indicators Program (SCIP) 2024" measuring sustainability awareness and behaviors at U-M campuses. It includes circular indicators showing 2021–2024 data for waste prevention awareness and travel behavior (Ann Arbor), and commitment to behavior change (Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Flint), as well as 2012–2024 data for sustainability engagement and commitment. Key findings include high travel behavior scores (students: 8.1) and moderate commitment to carbon neutrality (staff: 7.8 at Dearborn). A color-coded legend shows significant increases or decreases. Logos at the bottom: Graham Sustainability Institute, Planet Blue, ISR.

bradytwest.bsky.social
Brady West @bradytwest.bsky.social · 15d
If even a shred of this is true, name a bigger meltdown / fall from grace. My goodness.

And imagine his family…😞

Reposted by Brady T. West

lsaclassof2000.bsky.social
LSAClassOf2000 @lsaclassof2000.bsky.social · 15d
Holy shit.

bradytwest.bsky.social
Brady West @bradytwest.bsky.social · 15d
This news about Moore is absolutely stunning. WTAF are you thinking man?
twesq.bsky.social TW @twesq.bsky.social · 15d
do you know how fuckin reckless you gotta be for a public university bound by strict HR procedures to have enough evidence to fire you for cause for an inappropriate relationship

Reposted by Brady T. West

twesq.bsky.social
TW @twesq.bsky.social · 15d
do you know how fuckin reckless you gotta be for a public university bound by strict HR procedures to have enough evidence to fire you for cause for an inappropriate relationship

Reposted by Brady T. West

aapor.bsky.social
American Association for Public Opinion Research @aapor.bsky.social · 15d
Selection bias is a crucial topic in #publicopinionresearch. In this episode of the Public Opinion #Podcast, guests Rod Little, PhD & Rebecca Aldridge, PhD discuss key issues in selection bias.

Hosted by: @bradytwest.bsky.social

Listen now: sites.libsyn.com/469761/pop_d...

bradytwest.bsky.social
Brady West @bradytwest.bsky.social · 16d
Michigan Basketball is downright SCARY right now, both men and women! 😳 #HAIL

Reposted by Brady T. West, Sarah Burgard

um-psc.bsky.social
UM Population Studies Center @um-psc.bsky.social · 17d
Join us Friday for PDHP's hybrid half-day workshop on Adaptive Interventions with @d3center.bsky.social experts Shiyu Zhang, Walter Dempsey, and @leb112358.bsky.social. Details and registration at pdhp.isr.umich.edu/workshops/
PDHP workshop

bradytwest.bsky.social
Brady West @bradytwest.bsky.social · 18d
Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel, Disney Animated or Pixar.

bradytwest.bsky.social
Brady West @bradytwest.bsky.social · 19d
Tired: Dos a Cero

Wired: 13-10

😂

Reposted by Brady T. West

shiraamitchell.bsky.social
shira mitchell @shiraamitchell.bsky.social · 20d
blog post:

probability sample = known nonzero probability

epsem = equal individual probabilities

SRS = equal entire-sample probabilities

Reposted by Brady T. West

opiniontoday.bsky.social
Opinion Today @opiniontoday.bsky.social · 22d
OPINION TODAY featured podcast —
Dealing with Selection Bias in Surveys, with Rod Little, @randridge.bsky.social and @bradytwest.bsky.social
(@aapor.bsky.social)
opiniontoday.substack.com/i/180586526/...

bradytwest.bsky.social
Brady West @bradytwest.bsky.social · 22d
I had fun hosting this podcast for @aapor.bsky.social with Rod Little and @randridge.bsky.social, where we discussed modern approaches to dealing with selection bias in surveys (and why weights may not work). I hope that AAPOR will continue to make the P.O.P. available!

aapor.org/media/public...
Public Opinion Podcast - AAPOR
aapor.org

Reposted by Brady T. West, Miles Corak, Stuart Shapiro

justinwolfers.bsky.social
Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 22d
Hard disagree. The official BLS jobs numbers are still the most reliable data we have, and it's not close. And there's no way the Administration has (yet) fiddled with its data. I promise to let you know at the first whiff of interference.
ronfilipkowski.bsky.social Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 22d
The only reliable data we are going to get on this stuff now comes from the private sector. bsky.app/profile/atru...
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 22d
🚨 CNBC on latest jobs numbers: "A big miss on ADP payrolls. The private payroll company saying private payrolls shed 32,000 workers in Nov. That's the 4th negative number in past 6 months. The estimate was for +40,000, so the street was off ... this may be coming from being hammered by the tariffs"

bradytwest.bsky.social
Brady West @bradytwest.bsky.social · 24d
Yet another excellent example of why it is important to always think critically about from where (or whom!) exactly the data are coming.

Reposted by Brady T. West

Andrew Gelman et al. @statmodeling.bsky.social · 24d
How much of “Mississippi’s education miracle” is an artifact of selection bias?
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/12/01/h...
How much of “Mississippi’s education miracle” is an artifact of selection bias? | Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu

Reposted by Brady T. West, Dean Eckles

tslumley.bsky.social
Thomas Lumley @tslumley.bsky.social · 25d
For the avoidance of doubt: does svyglm() use robust standard errors? Yes!
notstatschat.rbind.io/2025/12/01/d...
Does svyglm use robust standard errors? - Biased and Inefficient
notstatschat.rbind.io

Reposted by David G. Rand, David Lazer, Brady T. West , and 6 more

brendannyhan.bsky.social
Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 25d
Needed - larger samples, more realism about (the lack of) heterogeneous treatment effects:
-"less than a third of proposed hypotheses were supported... the largest predictor of positive exp. results was sample size"
-"moderation hypotheses were rarely significant"
academic.oup.com/poq/advance-...
An Audit of Social Science Survey Experiments
Abstract. Survey experiments have become a popular methodology for causal inference across the social sciences. We study the efficacy of survey experiment
academic.oup.com

bradytwest.bsky.social
Brady West @bradytwest.bsky.social · 28d
Just a miserable failure by the Lions coaching staff today. Hasn’t been great for multiple games, but this is a nadir. And now the playoffs are in jeopardy.

bradytwest.bsky.social
Brady West @bradytwest.bsky.social · 28d
Really bad time for one of your better defensive players to just glitch out…WTF?
nickbaumgardner.bsky.social Nick Baumgardner @nickbaumgardner.bsky.social · 28d
Brian Branch, maybe finish the play next time

Reposted by Brady T. West

nickbaumgardner.bsky.social
Nick Baumgardner @nickbaumgardner.bsky.social · 28d
Brian Branch, maybe finish the play next time