Center for Survey Research at Penn State Harrisburg

08/31/2026

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐮𝐩𝐬?

A newly published study in 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦,“𝐈𝐬 𝐈𝐭 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞? 𝐎𝐮𝐭-𝐨𝐟-𝐏𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐀𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝,” used data collected through the 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡'𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐥 to examine Pennsylvanians' experiences with preventive healthcare costs. The authors, 𝐃𝐫𝐬. 𝐒𝐮𝐣𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤, 𝐄𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐱 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐲, found that nearly one in four insured respondents reported paying out-of-pocket for their most recent annual checkup, despite ACA provisions intended to reduce cost-sharing for many preventive services.

The study also highlights the important role that healthcare affordability and awareness of preventive care coverage play in shaping patients' experiences with annual checkups.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11121-026-01973-5

The Lion Poll, offered biannually by Penn State Harrisburg's Center for Survey Research, helps academic leaders, government and non-profit organizations, and policymakers measure the opinions and experiences of Pennsylvania adults on a variety public policy and health issues.

Preventive services are intended to be provided without cost-sharing under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), yet many patients still incur out-of-pocket (OOP) costs during routine annual checkups where such services are typically delivered. This study examines the prevalence and predictors of OOP payme...

08/26/2026

CSR got the memo Owala

08/25/2026

Artificial intelligence is changing the landscape of the criminal justice system, but are Pennsylvanians ready for it?

According to results from the Lion Poll, conducted by Penn State Harrisburg's Center for Survey Research, the answer largely depends on the role AI plays.

Pennsylvanians were generally supportive of using AI as an investigative aid, particularly for identifying suspects from surveillance footage. However, support dropped sharply when AI was connected to decisions involving sentencing, incarceration, parole, or assessments that could affect a person's freedom.

The findings suggest that Pennsylvanians appear much more comfortable with utilizing AI to supplement human judgment rather than replace it.

This distinction has significant implications for policymakers, criminal justice agencies, and technology developers. Public acceptance may depend less on whether AI is used and more on how it is used, how transparent it is, and whether humans remain accountable for final decisions.

As AI capabilities continue to expand, understanding public attitudes will be essential for responsible implementation in Pennsylvania and beyond.

Learn more by reading the full research brief, written by Penn State Harrisburg's Roderick Lee, Don Hummer, Ali Shodunke, and Shaun Gabbidon, linked in the comments below. 👇

07/13/2026

Unlock Pennsylvania insights with the Lion Poll! 1,000 voices in English & Spanish! 📈

Email from Center for Survey Research Now administered in Spanish!   1,000 Survey Responses. Unlimited Insights. Now Administered in English and Spanish!   The Lion Poll is your gateway to a state-rep

07/01/2026

Ready to unlock unlimited insights? Join the Lion Poll to get 1,000 survey responses from adult Pennsylvanians! 📊
https://conta.cc/4aX2OZ2

Email from Center for Survey Research Limited Lion Poll Space Available   1,000 Survey Responses. Unlimited Insights. Now Administered in English and Spanish!   The Lion Poll is your gateway to a stat

05/20/2026

Nothing like a friendly Mahjong match at lunch to the bring the CSR team together!

05/11/2026

Research opportunity! We're looking to recruit 18-22 year olds who used to, but no longer hunt in PA. Know anyone who would fit this eligibility? Please share this with your network or send directly to who may be interested!

04/30/2026

Last chance to sign up for this hit workshop!

📣 So You Need to Do a Survey: A Practical Guide to Writing a Useful Questionnaire

💻Virtual Session: Thursday, May 7, 2026 | 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Topics covered will include:
📝Writing good research questions and mapping survey questions to topics of interest
🆗Best practices and pitfalls to avoid in designing survey questions
🚫How to avoid bias in your survey
📊Crafting response choices and how to identify the best response scale for your questions
🗂️Considerations in organizing, presenting, and testing your survey

Ideal for both new and experienced researchers, this workshop builds on our previous session, So You Need to Do a Survey: A Practical Introduction to Survey Planning.

📅See comments for the registration links. Details will be sent upon registration.

04/20/2026

Our final furry co-worker of the week is Flurry!

04/14/2026

Congratulations to CSR's own, Coren Jagnow, on receiving a Communication Science to Society Initiative interdisciplinary grant! We’re proud to see this collaborative research recognized for its potential to translate communication science into meaningful societal impact.

The Communication, Science & Society Initiative, a research partnership between Penn State’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences in the College of the Liberal Arts, has announced the grant recipients from its 2025 request for proposals.