MDC managers and decision makers often need information on what “the public” thinks about resource management issues—from how users like a new trail or exhibit to how the state should manage the deer population. For any public survey, we must identify the target audience and how results will be used. With nearly every survey MDC conducts reviewers will also ask “Wouldn’t online surveys save MDC money?” and we respond, “It depends!” Online surveys have become attractive as a presumably economical way to measure constituents’ preferences, opinions, and attitudes. However, issues such as non-response bias, sample validity, and sampling error due to internet access differences in the population can have effects on representativeness, reliability, and accuracy.
This project tracks the state of the art in human dimensions survey methodology.
