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The Balance Wheel: Spring 2003

The following article outlines options for gathering public opinion survey information. Meant to complement the article, “Using the Science to Formulate Policy - Where Do We Go From Here?”, this article offers cost-effective alternatives that may be unknown to communication professionals. The Balance Wheel does not advocate one alternative over another, but instead wishes to present multiple options. We understand there is great diversity in our agency structures and budget resources and want to offer multiple options for our members.

Public Eye on Playas

By Debbie F. Slobe, Communications Team Leader, Playa Lakes Joint Venture

Do you know what a playa lake is? If you answered “no,” you are not alone. The Playa Lakes Joint Venture, or PLJV, has been around since 1989, yet hardly anyone outside of the organization knows that the PLJV or playas exist. That is why the PLJV has recently dedicated additional resources to its outreach efforts to spread 0the word about the organization and the resources it protects. (playa lake defined)

Over the past several months, the PLJV has created a new logo, and launched a web site and monthly e-newsletter. News releases are being sent to targeted media outlets on a regular basis. Slowly, the PLJV name is beginning to register with the public and is popping up in newspaper and magazine articles in the six-state area it serves.

But as with all aspects of natural resource management, it is always better to work guided by research results rather than by assumptions. Conducting research is crucial for evaluating the effectiveness of all conservation efforts – whether they are biological or outreach-based. In the case of outreach efforts, market research or public opinion polling is the traditional method used.

Many organizations skip the invaluable step of market research deterred by the extra time, cost, and effort. But such research is essential for measuring the success of outreach campaigns, understanding target audiences, and crafting effective messages. Most public relations professionals will tell you that market research is one of the most important components of any outreach strategy.

The PLJV is currently looking into a number of market research options, from traditional firms to academic institutions to internet-based services. There are plenty of options out there.

Traditional firms: Many ACI members are familiar with Responsive Management of Harrisonburg, Virginia. The public opinion polling and survey research firm specializes in fisheries, wildlife, natural resource, outdoor recreation, and environmental issues. Director Mark Duda has managed a number of research projects for state wildlife agencies and other natural resource organizations throughout the nation. The company conducts telephone, mail and focus-group surveys, plus develops marketing, public relations, and communications plans and evaluation. Responsive management is a full-service shop that comes highly recommended by its customers. The downside is that a client could spend between $15,000 and $50,000 or more, depending on the complexity of the survey.

Small firms: Firms like National Marketing Concepts of Albuquerque, New Mexico offer more basic services but at a fraction of the price. Director Linda Shul is a one-woman show who contracts out survey staff on a per-contract basis. This enables her to keep costs down to between $5,000 and $10,000 per survey. Like Responsive Management, National Marketing Concepts offers telephone, mail or focus-group surveys, but does not offer communications plan development or evaluation.

Academia: Overlooked by many outreach specialists, universities can be great resources for public opinion survey services. At Colorado State University in Fort Collins, the Natural Resources Recreation & Tourism department, headed by Mike Manfredo, specializes in “elicitation studies” or in-depth focus groups as well as telephone surveys. A survey of 400 people will run about $20,000. Manfredo and his department have conducted several surveys for the Colorado Division of Wildlife and his program is highly recommended by Division staff. The department will also conduct surveys for out-of-state agencies and conservation groups. Texas Tech University in Lubbock also conducts public-opinion polling services and hosts a phone bank for survey taking on campus. Further details of the TTU program were not available at press time. Another avenue through academia is to find a graduate student who would be interested in taking on your research project as part of course work. You may be able to get away with paying the student/students a smaller fee than a firm would charge for such a project.

Internet surveys: Although not endorsed by most traditional or academic public-polling professionals, internet-based survey services are cheap, easy, and plentiful. A few of the online survey sites out there include: Zoomerang (http://www.zoomerang.com), Survey Suite (http://intercom.virginia.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/intercom/SurveySuite/ss_index.pl) and Web Surveyor (http://www.websurveyor.com). Zoomerang is a free service that allows users to create surveys and invite people to take them via its web site. There are several samples of surveys available. Users can either poll Zoomerang’s membership or use their own audience list. Zoomerang surveys are limited to 20 questions, however, and like with all internet-based (and mail-in surveys), the lack of interpersonal communication and ability to follow-up or clarify can result in incomplete responses and misunderstood questions. Users are also limited by Zoomerang’s audience base, which may or may not represent the desired target audiences. And coming up with names is a difficult task better left to professional polling firms who have relationships with telephone companies to obtain names and phone numbers of potential survey participants. In the case of firms that specialize in natural resources issues like Responsive Management, they may already have groups of willing survey participants within your target.

There is no end to the number of market research options, from the high-priced, high-end services to do-it-yourself, cheap online services. The key is finding the right service for your needs. The PLJV has not yet determined which path it will pursue, as we are still researching the above options and others. We hope, however, that soon we will never again have to answer the question: “What are playa lakes?”