Earl Babbie Heritage Interview

Interview Host: Mandy Sha @mandysha Introductory & Concluding Remarks: Jason Kosakow, AAPOR History Subcommittee Chair Recorded in April & May 2026 In this AAPOR Heritage Interview (also part of the Pioneers in Survey Research Interview Series), Jason Kosakow & Mandy Sha sit down with renowned sociologist, author, and professor emeritus at Chapman University, Earl Babbie, for a wide-ranging conversation about his life, career, and lasting contributions to survey research. Babbie reflects on his "accidental career," tracing his journey from Vermont to Harvard, to graduate study at the University of California, Berkeley, where Charles Glock became his mentor, and to authoring some of the most adopted textbooks in social research. He also shares his perspectives on artificial intelligence, the future of the social sciences, and the responsibility of researchers to use their work to address society's most pressing challenges.