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Allyson Holbrook is a Professor in the Department of Public Policy, Management, and Analytics at the University of Illinois Chicago's College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs. She holds a PhD in Social Psychology from The Ohio State University (2002), an MA in Psychology from the same institution (1997), and a BA in Psychology and Political Science from Dickinson College (1995, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa). Since joining UIC around 2002, she has served in various leadership roles, including Director of the Master of Public Administration program, Director of Graduate Studies in Public Policy, Management, and Analytics, and professor by courtesy appointment in Psychology. Her research focuses on two primary areas: the formation, change, and behavioral influence of attitudes and beliefs, particularly regarding political issues and activism; and survey methodology, including how respondents process and answer survey requests and questions. She investigates factors affecting survey credibility, racial and ethnic differences in question comprehension, and questionnaire design's impact on measurement validity and reliability.
Holbrook has made significant contributions to survey research through numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in journals spanning survey methodology, psychology, and political science. Notable works include her co-authorship of the book Interviewer Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective (2020) and ongoing editorship of a volume on experiments in surveys. She currently serves as co-Editor-in-Chief of Public Opinion Quarterly, a leading journal of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), alongside Phil Jones. Her leadership in the field includes being named a Midwest Association for Public Opinion Research (MAPOR) Fellow in 2021, serving as past President and Conference Chair of MAPOR, and holding positions such as Associate Secretary-Treasurer and Conference Chair for AAPOR. Holbrook teaches courses on research methods, with an emphasis on survey design and conduct, and has delivered workshops and presentations on questionnaire design to academic and nonacademic audiences. Her work enhances understanding of public opinion measurement and informs best practices in policy-relevant research.
