PUBLIC OPINION RESEARCH
Public opinion research is a useful tool for many reasons: it informs program design, helps evaluate progress being made by various activities, provides external perspective to agencies for policy and programmatic direction, and allows for further exploration into complex issues. The Puget Sound Partnership received funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to carry out a series of public opinion surveys. The following surveys were conducted:
Sound Behavior Index
Conducted three times between February 2012 and June 2015. The survey helped establish a behavior index related to yard care, car maintenance, home maintenance, pet/animal waste, onsite septic systems, small farms, and recreational boating and fishing. In addition, the first survey conducted included a segment asking about social capital. LEARN MORE
General Survey
Three general surveys were conducted to focus on people’s general knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and sense of place related to Puget Sound. The general survey helped identify characteristics of the population useful for the development of various stewardship activities, especially for the Puget Sound Starts Here campaign and provided data related to our new Human Wellbeing Vital Sign indicators.
Barriers and Motivators Surveys
There will be three distinct surveys, each focused on one particular issue or practice. These surveys will be completed by the third quarter of 2013. Focus groups will be conducted for each topic as well, in order to "dig deeper" into people’s barriers to carrying out specific practices and motivators that would lead them to use of better practices. Topics will be chosen based on scientific knowledge of individual behaviors that either protect or threaten the health of Puget Sound from a regional perspective. The first survey will be on use of lawn care products.
2015 Sound Behavior Index Report
2015 General Public Opinion Survey
2013 Sound Behavior Index Report
Sound Behavior - Social Capital Index 2012 and supplement
Sound Behavior Index and Social Capital Index summary
Developing Indices from Social Capital and Environmental Behavior Survey Data
Yard Care and Pesticide Practices: Barriers and Motivators Survey Report