You Have Been Randomly Selected: A Life Dedicated to Turning Research Findings into Practical Applications

Some scholars label the sample survey—the idea that small, randomly selected, well-designed samples can provide accurate estimates of large population attributes—as the most important social sciences invention of the 20th century. One of the world's most recognized survey methodologists is Don A. Dillman. His findings raised the standards of evidence in the field and changed how researchers conduct thousands of essential surveys throughout the world—a United States Census Bureau director once described the organization's revamped decennial questionnaire as "Dillmanized." In You Have Been Randomly Selected, Dillman conveys the excitement he felt getting up in the morning with a new concept that would lead to months of experiments, one after another, trying to solve many unknowns. He found working with people interested in using those ideas to carry out their work even more satisfying.

Random selection also played a large role in Dillman's own life, teaching him to embrace, rather than reject, change. An early bout with polio kept him indoors instead of outside on his family's Iowa farm. Relationships he enjoyed as a child in rural communities later shaped his theoretical approach to survey participation. Exposure to Iowa State University Research Extension agents prompted an interest in practical research. Key experiences in college and graduate school piqued thoughts about how he could contribute to the world. A student strike a few months after he started as a Washington State University assistant professor brought classroom instruction to a halt and led to his formation of the institution's Social & Economic Sciences Research Center and future work with the U.S. Census Bureau. Together, these unexpected events and circumstances destined him to become an agronomist, a sociologist, and ultimately, a world-renowned survey methodologist. You Have Been Randomly Selected is his story.