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Why should I participate?
The County makes decisions based on the results of this study. This is your opportunity to voice your opinions and to make suggestions to the County on what you think is important. The County understands that some residents are from cell phone only households and wants to include their opinions as well.
How did you get my phone
number?
We use a random-digit dialing method in order
to get a statistically valid sample from cell phones and landlines. For areas that frequently get
underrepresented using random digit dialing we augment our sample with
randomized numbers from a directory listing. But in short your number had the same
chance of being picked by our computer as any other phone number around Prince
William Co. Cell numbers groups are randomized using information from “rate
centers,” a geographic area used by local exchange carriers to set rate
boundaries for billing and for issuing phone numbers. We do not know your name or
address.
Why do you want to call
cell phones?
We realize that cell phones are considered
personal by many people, though less so by others. Cell phone-only households have been
shown to have different opinions from other households. The County wants its decisions to be
based upon the advice of a truly representative sample of County residents.
I share this cell phone .
. . why was I picked?
Because only a small proportion of cell phones
are shared we decided to treat them as belonging to the first individual who
answers. If an appointment is set
up with that individual we will try to do the survey with him/her. But if no definite appointment is made
and a second person answers the cell, we will interview that person instead.
Why are you calling me all
the way from
The County asked the
Are you auto-dialing?
I’m supposed to be on the “Do not call” list!
Academic survey organizations are exempt from
the list but strictly comply with the ethical standards of their professional
organization (AAPOR). As such we
will remove anyone who does not wish to be contacted from our list. Interviewers initiate the dialing of our
calls, not a computer and we do not engage in large-scale “predictive
dialing.” As an academic survey
organization, we are further bound by the University’s Institutional
Review Board protocols and try to serve the public good by providing objective
information on how citizens feel about government services and where
improvements can be made.
What about
confidentiality?
The results from all our interviews will be put
together in a statistical report.
No one we interview will be identified in the report and no telephone
numbers will be given to the County.
We dialed your number at random and we don’t know your address.
Why do you want to know my
zip code (or the intersection nearest my house)?
We want that information so we can compare
different parts of the County to see if there is a problem in a particular area
that the government should give more attention to.
Why didn’t you ask
me about . . . ?
To keep the interviews from getting too long, we are asking some questions this year and other questions next year. If you have something that you think needs to be added to the survey, we can make a note of it.
I’d like to call
& set a survey appointment, and who can I call for more information?
Please call 1-800-CSR-POLL (277-7655) and
select option #1, or you can reach calling lab supervisor directly at
434-243-5226 during the day. Or
I can set an appointment now if you prefer. If you'd like to know more about the
study, you can contact the Prince William Office of Executive Management at
703-792-6720, you can talk to my supervisor now, or you can contact Tom
Guterbock at the Center for Survey Research (434) 243-5222.
How can I get the results?
Results of the main study for 2009 will be
presented in a written report to the County Board at one of its public meetings
next fall. Copies of the report from the Prince William Office of Executive
Management are posted on the Prince William County website at www.pwcgov.org/.
