Learning with the Center for the Study of Local Issues Dan Nataf, PhD, Director Center for the Study...
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Transcript of Learning with the Center for the Study of Local Issues Dan Nataf, PhD, Director Center for the Study...
Learning with the Center for
the Study of Local Issues
Dan Nataf, PhD, DirectorCenter for the Study of Local Issues
Careers 132Anne Arundel Community College
101 College ParkwayArnold, MD 21012-1895http:www2.aacc.edu/csli
Agenda:
I. Review Mission/History of CSLIII. Understanding surveysIII. Your roleIV. Review previous findingsV. QuestionnaireVI. Next steps
CSLI History and Mission
Historical Background: In business since 1978!
1. Creation and operation as part of Division of Social Sciences: 1978-1999 – a community college ‘research center’
2 .Operation as part of Sarbanes Center for Public and Community Service 2006-present
• Advisory Board: 20 +/- community activists, elected officials, government administrators, students, faculty
• Provides guidance and link to the community both within and outside the campus
• Staff: Director, Program Specialist, Student Interns
CSLI History and Mission
Provide students opportunities to better understand applied social science research methods while encouraging civic awareness and engagement
• Serve community and local government by offering research services and communicating survey findings
• Provide opportunities for faculty professional development
• Help AACC understand its environment through relevant data collection and analysis
Mission – four elements
Mission: Provide students opportunities to better understand applied social science research methods while encouraging civic awareness and engagement
Activities providing student opportunities:
Participation in community surveys
Participation in client based research projects
Student internships
CSLI student club (see www2.aacc.edu/csli/csliclub.htm)
CSLI History and Mission
Semi-annual Survey
The survey process at a glance…
1. Conducted in March and October2. Telephone interviews – 350-550 (record 917)
completions3. Press releases4. Public presentations5. Media outreach6. Web site (http://www2.aacc.edu/csli)
CSLI: The Semi-annual Survey
Service Learning Process
Semi-annual survey – how students participate for service learning credit (and Nataf’s extra credit)
Up to five contacts with CSLI• Introductory meeting • 2-3+ nights of telephone interviews• Final meeting – review of survey process,
findings, SPSS/hypotheses testing• Short paper (if 15 hours or more required)
CSLI: The Semi-annual Survey
Semi-annual Surveys -
Why is your role so important?
How do surveys work?
1. Identify a population whose characteristics and attitudes are interesting to us
2. Our population – Residents of Anne Arundel County at least 18 years of age
3. Our goal – Ask a small group (the “sample”) questions 4. Generalize the findings to the whole population (the
“universe”)
CSLI: The Semi-annual Survey
How do surveys work? (continued)
Find a proper sample size: costs vs. margins of error – Example: Population of 100k+, confidence interval 95%
Error Sample Size
3 1111
5 384
7 204
10 100
CSLI: The Semi-annual Survey
Semi-annual Surveys -
Why is your role so important?
How do surveys work? (Data collection)
Options for data collection:
Choices:1. Face to face – personal interviews2. Telephone – personal interviews3. Self-administered - by mail, exit poll, group setting4. Online – a version of ‘self administered’
Semi-annual Surveys -
Why is your role so important?
CSLI: The Semi-annual Survey
How do surveys work? ( Data collection continued)
CSLI’s process:
Telephone – personal interviews – that’s what you will be doing
CSLI: The Semi-annual Survey
Semi-annual Surveys -
Why is your role so important?
How do surveys work? ( Data collection continued)
How do we choose who shall participate in survey?
Two choices: (1) Randomly select from listed phone numbers (2) Use computer generated “likely unlisted residential numbers within your target jurisdiction”(3) Add in some cell phone numbers (option)
CSLI’s lists of numbers are a 90/10 percent mixWe start with over 10000 phone numbers!
CSLI: The Semi-annual Survey
Semi-annual Surveys -
Why is your role so important?
How do surveys work? ( Survey assumptions)
What are we assuming in using telephone numbers?
That everyone in our target universe is equally likely to have a phone and willing/able to answer a survey
Could other methods be used to ensure more complete representation?
Ideally, yes! But the other data collection methods are harder to implement and/or more expensive…
CSLI: The Semi-annual Survey
Semi-annual Surveys -
Why is your role so important?
How do surveys work? (Sources of error)
What are other data collection challenges?
* Interviewer bias * Social desirability (“Halo effect”)* Unclear questions* Non-attitudes* Non-response bias (both overall and to items)* Unequal representation of subgroups
None of these is necessarily a fatal flaw, but should make us sensitive that there are more sources of error than just the statistical ‘margin of error’
CSLI: The Semi-annual Survey
Semi-annual Surveys -
Why is your role so important?
How do surveys work? (Getting to the finish line!)
What happens to all the completed surveys?
1. Data entry. This means we need to enter all the answers into a database for statistical processing.
2. Statistical analysis.3. Write a report.4. Send it out as a “press release.”5. Post it on the Web.6. Use it in public presentations.
CSLI: The Semi-annual Survey
Semi-annual Surveys -
Why is your role so important?
Semi-annual Surveys: Recent Major Topics
Semi-annual survey – topics over the last couple of years • Major issues facing the county• Economic conditions and concerns in the county• Perceptions of BRAC’s impact on the county• The vision for public schools in the county• Cigarette Tax• Death Penalty• Presidential job approval• Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan• Lots of demographic info: age, income, employment
situation, race, religion, gender, party, ideology
CSLI: The Semi-annual Survey
Presidential Job Approval: Fall ‘06-Sp. ‘11
County: Right/Wrong directionS
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20 1917
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19 1816
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16 17 17
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Right Wrong Unsure
AA County compared to USA – County looks around 35% better
S'02 F '02 S '03 F '03 S '04 F '04 S '05 F '05 S '06 F '06 S '07 F '07 S '08 F '08 S '09 F '09 S '10 F '10 S '110
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34 3431 28
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5 510 11 11 13
74 76
56 56
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74 74 7174
71 7169
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49 46 4844 45
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CSLI – Anne Arundel County
Gallup – National Polling for USA
Condition Fall2005
Spring2011
Balancing the county budget (less spending, more revenues)
0 18
Providing enough jobs 8 16Providing enough skills/training or otherwise improving education/schools
11 12
Managing growth/development 27 8Having enough infrastructure, roads, transportation 3 7All other answers 51 39Total 100 100
Compare 2005/2011 – Most important economic priority for the county
Budget and jobs rise in importance
Notice decreases in government services?
Answer Percentage
Yes 26No 70
Don’t know, no answer
5
Total 101
Services mentioned Cases PercentageRoads 39 24
Schools/teachers 31 19
Library 24 15
College tuition 12 7
Fire 10 6
Seniors services 10 6Jobs/furloughs/pay cuts
106
Police 9 6
Staffing 7 4
Child services 6 4
MVA 3 2
Mental health 2 1
Total 163 100
Most don’t see an impact from govt. belt-tightening
21
Issue Support Oppose Unsure
Imposing an additional fine of up to $1500 on drivers caught drunk driving 86 13 1
Permitting the use of off-shore wind power near Ocean City 80 10 10
Increasing the alcohol tax 68 29 3
Permitting the purchase of marijuana for medical purposes 65 29 7
Taking away drivers’ licenses from those who refuse to pay taxes 64 32 3
Increasing the use of cameras to ticket those running red lights 59 41 4
Making same sex marriages legal in Maryland 47 46 7
Making preparations to implement President Obama’s health care reform law 43 50 8
Limiting the use of binding arbitration when the county negotiates with public safety unions 35 42 23
Allowing the children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition for college 33 63 4
Increasing university tuition to maintain the quality of higher education 32 66 2
Reducing the pension and retiree health benefits of state workers 28 65 7
Promising state workers no furlough days, and providing them with a $750 bonus 25 59 16
Increasing the county income tax to the maximum allowed by law to avoid cuts in essential services 25 68 7
Increasing the gasoline tax to bolster the transportation trust fund 17 80 3
State and County Issues
Yes No Unsure/N.A.
Total
President Obama’s state of the union speech? 72 28 1 101
Governor O’Malley’s inaugural speech or his state of the state speech
41 58 1 100
Watched County Council hearings being broadcast on local cable stations anytime over the last year?
19 80 1 100
Watched, listened or read about…
Estimates %Under $1 billion 4$1 billion to $500 billion
17
$501 to $999 billion 4$1-1.999 trillion 21$2-2.99 trillion 10$3-4.99 trillion 22$5-6 trillion 6Over $6 trillion 17Total 101
Estimations of Federal Budget
51% estimated
Estimates %
Under $1 billion 30$1-5.99 billion 26$6 to $10.99 billion
7
$11-15.99 billion 4$16-20.99 billion 5$21-30.99 billion 3$31-40 billion 1Over $40 billion 24Total 100
Estimates %
Under $5 million 22$5-50 million 18$51 to $100 million
10
$101-350 million 8$351-650 million 9$651-999 million 7$1-1.99 billion 14$2-2.99 billion 3$4-6.99 billion 4Over $7 billion 6Total 100
Estimations of County Budget31% estimated
Estimations of State Budget31% estimated
Perceptions of 2020: Health Care by Ideology and Party
Conservatives Moderates Liberals Dems Reps Indep.0
10
20
30
40
50
60
18
31
47
35
23 2221
35
56
41
24
30
Percentage saying “Better”
Health Care Quality/Access
Budget Issues: Party and Ideology
All Dem Rep Ind. D-R
Maintaining the tuition freeze at the University of Maryland 79 79 79 85 0
Maintaining the level of state funding for public schools 78 81 76 77 5
Requiring school employees to take several unpaid days off 36 39 36 30 3
Shifting the cost of teachers’ pensions to local governments 24 23 28 20 -5
O’Malley doing poor job %
Ideology Conservative 55
Moderate 33Liberal 10
Conservative-Liberal 45Party
Democrat 21Republican 62Independent 38
Democrat-Republican -41
% saying “support”
O’Malley’s job balancing budget: Good=13%; Okay=42%; Poor=38%
The FALL 2011 Semi-annual SurveySee Word document
CSLI: The Semi-annual Survey
Next Steps
1. Make sure you know which evenings you are spending with us2. First night – come at 5:30 p.m. training in telephone interviewing
methods and questionnaire marking3. Last two nights – no need for more training, come at 6:00 p.m.4. Final meeting – in three weeks5. If necessary, don’t forget to turn in your short paper
See you next week!
CSLI: Your Next Steps