philip s. brenner, ph.d.
survey methodologist • social psychologist
I'm a survey methodologist and sociological social psychologist who studies the social and interactional sources of survey errors, the role of identity as a cause or motivation for those errors, and what we can learn about individuals in the social world when we study survey errors as substantive topics in their own right.
I'm particularly interested in the measurement of normative or socially-desirable behaviors, like church attendance, physical activity and exercise, voting and civic behavior, and recycling and "green" behaviors. My research has focused on the reasons survey respondents overreport these behaviors; that is, why they claim that they exercise when they don't or why they report that they attend church or pray more often than they do. A somewhat more complete summary of my research interests can be found here.
Links to my recent research, peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, can be found on the publications page.
I am editor of two recent volumes of collected papers published by Springer:
understanding survey methodology
My recent edited volume, "Understanding Survey Methodology: Sociological Theory and Applications" is now available. Chapters take a more sociological approach to survey methodology, understanding the social and interactional sources of error and applying sociological theories to understand these errors.
The volume is available in hardcover, paperback, or ebook format from the publisher at springer.com or at your local independent bookseller.
identities in action
My newest edited volume, with Jan Stets and Richard Serpe, is also available. "Identities in Action: Developments in Identity Theory" includes original research from senior and junior scholars of identity theory and making connections with multiple areas of sociological inquiry.
The volume is available in hardcover, paperback, or ebook format from the publisher at springer.com or at your local independent bookseller.
