Going into 2024, financial resolutions were likely popular across the state. After several years of inflation, finances remain a major concern for Wisconsinites. This comes from a new survey effort at UW-Madison’s Survey Center called WisconSays, which is a new panel of nearly 4,000 people answering regular survey questions.
News
La Follette and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel partner to highlight what matters to Wisconsin with UWSC’s WisconSays Panel
The La Follette School of Public Affairs and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel are collaborating to share insights on how Wisconsinites feel about important policy topics through a yearlong project called the Main Street Agenda. The WisconSays/La Follette Survey being used for the Main Street Agenda is a subset of the new WisconSays opinion panel based out of the UW-Madison Survey Center.
Madison Area Lakes Water Quality Study
The Madison Area Lakes Water Quality Study aims to understand Dane County residents’ use of the Madison area lakes and their attitudes towards water quality. The study is being conducted by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Participants were randomly selected from all addresses in Dane County.
City of Madison Parks and Open Space Plan Resident Study
The Madison Parks Division is updating the Park and Open Space Plan (POSP) for 2025-2030. This study seeks to learn about your thoughts about what you love most about Madison’s parks and open spaces, and what you would like to change. The purpose of the POSP is to serve as a long-range planning guide for decisions made by City Boards and Commissions, City agencies and staff. It is a tool used to guide decisions for a variety of park and open space issues such as city policies, park purchases, facility development, and park funding. The POSP is also required for Madison Parks to be eligible for Federal and State grants.
Wisconsin State Journal: Wisconsin’s ‘Happy Days cohort’ is helping researchers understand aging
The Wisconsin Longitudinal Study was featured on the front page of the Wisconsin State Journal, in an article written by David Wahlberg. The Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, spanning over 65 years, uncovers diverse insights into aging and cognition.
New publication by team that includes UWSC researchers describes how they adapted to the challenges of COVID-19 to recruit hard-to-reach population
The COVID-19 pandemic introduced challenges for conducting research, particularly for studies that use community-based sample generation strategies to recruit hard-to-reach populations. In a recently published “In-Brief Note” in the AAPOR online journal Survey Practice, UWSC staff members Graduate Assistant Jacob Boelter and Senior Project Director Ken Croes teamed up with University of Wisconsin–Madison Institute for Research on Poverty Research Scientist Lisa Klein Vogel and University of Wisconsin–Madison Sociology Doctoral Candidate Alexis M. Dennis to describe how they adapted their studies’ recruitment strategies to accommodate the manifold effects of social distancing of COVID-19.
Thinking about using a lottery to increase your response rate? New UWSC research shows a gift card for a small amount is more effective
Many studies rely on traditional web survey methods in which all contacts with respondents are through email and the questionnaire is administered exclusively online. Because it is difficult to effectively administer prepaid incentives via email, …
WisconSays
WisconSays is an online panel of adults from all over the state of Wisconsin who were scientifically selected to answer questions about their attitudes, experiences, and thoughts about important issues facing Wisconsin and the United States. In appreciation of their time and effort, WisconSays members receive points for completing surveys. These points are redeemed for electronic gift cards or cash. By participating in surveys, WisconSays members help researchers and others gain a better understanding of lives of Wisconsinites, including what they think about and what they care about.
Wisconsin Food Pantries
This study seeks to learn about the way food pantries in Wisconsin operate, their ability to meet the needs of pantry visitors, and their experiences with and impressions of The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
UWSC welcomes new Associate Director
The University of Wisconsin Survey Center (UWSC) has completed a national search for a new Associate Director, and have selected Kelly Elver to serve as the UWSC’s next Associate Director. Kelly is taking over for John Stevenson who retires in July after 29 years at UWSC! Kelly is only the third Associate Director in the UWSC’s 36-year history.