Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Second survey in UIS series to focus on education

The second in a series of surveys conducted every two years of residents in Sangamon County will focus on education.

The University of Illinois Springfield Center for State Policy & Leadership, the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln and the United Way of Central Illinois have partnered to conduct the 2015 Sangamon County Citizen Survey.

The survey was first conducted in 2013 and is planned every two years for the next eight years.

Ashley Kirzinger, director of the UIS Survey Research Office, said the overall survey was designed to focus on nine areas of quality of life, but each iteration from here on out will also go more in depth on one topic.

Organizers chose education based on findings from the 2013 survey that showed residents believe education plays an important role in improving Sangamon County, she said.

“We’re trying to dissect the 'why' aspect,” Kirzinger said. “Why do Sangamon County residents care, and what about education do they want us to play close attention to?”

The survey combines a traditional telephone poll with a survey of cell-phone users. The final sample will include more than 500 randomly selected county residents and takes about 20 minutes to complete.

The story was published by The State Journal-Register on April 22, 2015.

Read the full article online