POLS 1101

Civic Engagement Project Groups:

Survey Instruments for Civic Engagement Studies:

American National Election Studies

Current Population Survey (CPS) Civic Engagement Supplement (2017 Questionnaire)

General Social Survey (GSS) (2022)

Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey (2000)

Crafting and Organizing Your Questions:

• Create 3 sections of questions:

  • Demographics

    • Age, Racial/Ethnic Group, Marital Status, Children, How long have you lived in Fayette County?, In which city do you live?, Income, Level of Education, Other?

  • Measures of Civic Engagement

  • Perceptions of Community

• For each section, create questions with answers (assuming they are closed-ended)

• For questions that come from instruments listed above, make sure you note from where they come

Research Design

Using Claude2, a regular internet browser, or other AI chatbot, answer the following questions, which will help us create a research design for the project. Be sure to ask for references where you can and verify answers that chatbots give you.

1. What is the population of Fayette County, GA that is 18 and over? Provide the raw number and percent of the whole population.

2. Based on the population number in #1, how many people should be included in our research sample?

3. What is considered an acceptable response rate for a survey?

4. What methods can you use to obtain a sample?

5. Approximately how long should a survey interview be? How many questions is ideal?

6. How do surveys and interviews compare? Which is better and why?

Based on the information above,

7. What size should the class’ sample be for the civic engagement project? Why?

8. How many questions should our instrument contain?

9. Is the instrument, and therefore, method of data collection a survey, interview, or both? Why?

Questionnaire

Age:

• AssoBa

  • 18-24 years old

  • 25-34 years old

  • 35-44 years old

  • 45-54 years old

  • 55-64 years old

  • 65 years or older

Race/Ethnicity:

• What is your race/ethnicity? (Select all that apply)

  • White

  • Black or African American

  • Hispanic or Latino

  • Asian

  • American Indian or Alaska Native

  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

  • Other (please specify)

Marital Status:

• What is your current marital status?

  • Single, never married

  • Married

  • Living with partner

  • Divorced

  • Separated

  • Widowed

Education Level:

• What is the highest level of education you have completed?

  • Some high school

  • High school diploma or GED

  • Some college

  • Associate's degree

  • Bachelor's degree

  • Master's degree

  • Doctoral or professional degree

Income:

• Mo

  • Under $25,000

  • $25,000 - $49,999

  • $50,000 - $74,999

  • $75,000 - $99,999

  • $100,000 - $149,999

  • $150,000 or more

What is your gender?

• Male

• Female

• Non-binary / third gender

• Prefer not to say

How many children do you have?

• 0

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5 or more

How long have you lived in Fayette County?

• I do not reside in Fayette County

• Less than 1 year

• 1-5 years

• 6-10 years

• 11-20 years

• More than 20 years

• My whole life

Civic Engagement

Question: Have you voted in an election in the past year?

Answer choices:

• Yes

• No

Here are some additional closed-ended survey questions about civic engagement:

• Have you contacted an elected official about a public issue in the past year?

• Do you belong to any civic or social groups?

• Do you feel informed about current events?

• Do you feel confident in your ability to participate in the political process?

Answer choices:

• Yes

• No

• Unsure

• How often do you stay up-to-date on current events?

• How often do you discuss political or social issues with your friends and family?

Answer choices:

• Very often

• Often

• Somewhat often

• Not often

• Not at all often

• How important is it to you to be civically engaged?

Answer choices:

• Very important

• Important

• Somewhat important

• Not very important

• Not at all important

Question: Have you participated in any volunteer activities in the past year?

• Yes

• No

If NO, Why have you not participated in any volunteer activities in the past year?

• Lack of time

• Lack of interest

• Lack of awareness

• Barrier to access (e.g., transportation challenges, childcare issues, or disability accommodations)

• Other

If the reason you have not participated in volunteer activities in the past year was resolved, which type of activities would you be most interested in doing?

(Select all that apply.)

Answer choices:

• Volunteering at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen

• Volunteering at a school or youth center

• Volunteering at a hospital or nursing home

• Volunteering for an environmental organization

• Volunteering for a political or social justice organization

• Volunteering for a religious or spiritual organization

• Volunteering for a sports or recreation organization

• Volunteering for a community event or festival

• Other (please specify)

Question: If YES, Which of the following volunteer activities have you participated in in the past year? (Select all that apply.)

Answer choices:

• Volunteering at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen

• Volunteering at a school or youth center

• Volunteering at a hospital or nursing home

• Volunteering for an environmental organization

• Volunteering for a political or social justice organization

• Volunteering for a religious or spiritual organization

• Volunteering for a sports or recreation organization

• Volunteering for a community event or festival

• Other (please specify)

Perceptions of Community

Question 1: How safe do you feel walking alone in your community at night?

Answer choices:

• Very safe

• Safe

• Somewhat safe

• Not very safe

• Not at all safe

Question 2: How friendly and welcoming do you feel your community is?

Answer choices:

• Very friendly and welcoming

• Friendly and welcoming

• Somewhat friendly and welcoming

• Not very friendly and welcoming

• Not at all friendly and welcoming

Question 3: How clean and well-maintained is your community?

Answer choices:

• Very clean and well-maintained

• Clean and well-maintained

• Somewhat clean and well-maintained

• Not very clean and well-maintained

• The Crime

Question 4: How proud are you to be a member of your community?

Answer choices:

• Very proud

• Proud

• Somewhat proud

• Not very proud

• Not at all proud

Question 5: What are the biggest challenges facing your community?

Answer choices:

• Crime

• Poverty

• Lack of jobs

• Poor schools

• Lack of affordable housing

• Discrimination

• Other (please specify)

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS

Overview

In this research project, each student will survey 4 people of their choosing, all at least 18 years old. Once all students have gathered their data, responses will be collated, resulting in a total sample size of about 100 participants. Students will then work in groups to preliminarily analyze the data and craft a research question that they will answer with the data, addressing how and the degree to which participants are civically engaged, and how participation can address community problems identified in the survey results. Finally, students will publish their findings using Canva's Presentations and present them in class in a 10-minute presentation directed toward and made for community members and stakeholders.

Steps

1. Survey 4 people of your choosing, all at least 18 years old.

2. Form groups of 3-4 students.

3. Collate class survey responses in Qualtrics.

4. Work with your group to preliminarily analyze the collated data.

5. Craft a research question that you will answer with the data, addressing how and the degree to which participants are civically engaged, and how participation can address community problems identified in the survey results.

6. Based on your analysis, you should also develop and propose a policy, program, or other intervention to get citizens involved in addressing issues in their community.

7. Publish your findings using Canva's Presentations to create a visually appealing and informative presentation of your findings.

8. Prepare your presentation so that you can deliver it in a clear and concise manner.

9. Present your findings to the class in a 10-minute presentation directed toward and made for community members and stakeholders.

Analyzing Data and Crafting a Research Question

Once you have preliminarily analyzed your data, work with your group to craft a research question that you will answer with the data. The question should address how and the degree to which participants are civically engaged, and how participation can address community problems identified in the survey results.

Based on your analysis, you should also develop and propose a policy, program, or other intervention to get citizens involved in addressing issues in their community.

Here are some examples of policies, programs, or other interventions that you could propose:

• Policy: A policy to create a civic engagement council that would advise the city council on ways to increase civic participation.

• Program: A program to provide training and support to community organizations that are working to address community problems.

• Intervention: A campaign to raise awareness of the importance of civic engagement and to encourage people to get involved in their community.

You can also think creatively about other ways to get citizens involved in addressing issues in their community. For example, you could propose a new app that would make it easier for people to find and volunteer for opportunities, or a social media campaign to encourage people to share their ideas for how to improve their community.

When crafting your research question, be sure to keep the following in mind:

• Is your question clear and concise?

• Is your question well-defined and focused?

• Is your question relevant to the project topic?

• Is your question answerable with the data you have collected?

Here are some examples of good research questions:

• What are the most important community problems identified by participants in the survey?

• How can civic engagement be used to address the community problems identified in the survey?

• What are the barriers to civic engagement among community members?

• What policies, programs, or other interventions could be used to increase civic engagement in the community?

I encourage you to be creative and to think critically about your research question. The goal is to produce a project that is informative and relevant to the issue of civic engagement.

Grading

Your research project will be graded on the following criteria:

• Research question: Is your research question clear, concise, well-defined, relevant to the project topic, and answerable with the data you have collected?

• Data analysis: Have you adequately analyzed your data?

• Findings: Are your findings well-supported by your data?

• Policy, program, or intervention proposal: Is your proposal well-argued and feasible?

• Presentation: Is your presentation clear, concise, informative, and engaging?

• Visuals: Are your visuals effective in communicating your findings?

Grading Rubric

Due Dates

• Survey responses due: [October 29, 2023 by 11:59PM]

• Research question and policy, program, or intervention proposal due: [November 5, 2023]

• Canva presentation due: [November 15, 2023]

• In-class presentations: [November 29, 2023 and December 4, 2023]

Tips

• Be sure to choose a topic that you are interested in and that you can research using your survey data.

• Work with your group to analyze your data carefully.

• Craft a research question that is clear, concise, well-defined, relevant to the project topic, and answerable with the data you have collected.

• Based on your analysis, develop and propose a well-argued and feasible policy, program, or other intervention to get citizens involved in addressing issues in their community.

• Use Canva's Presentations to create a visually appealing and informative presentation of your findings.

• Practice your presentation so that you can deliver it in a clear and concise manner.

• When presenting your findings, imagine you are presenting to community members and stakeholders

  • Use language that is clear and easy to understand.

  • Avoid using jargon or technical terms.

  • Focus on the most important findings and their implications for the community.

  • Use visuals to help communicate your findings.

  • Be prepared to answer questions from the audience.

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