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Services

Background

Since 1989, the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR) of Michigan State University (MSU) has conducted social scientific, policy, and political surveys through its Office for Survey Research (OSR). OSR serves public, private, and nonprofit organizations and researchers seeking to use surveys to learn about attitudes, needs, experiences, and behavior of individuals and institutions.

Types of Services

OSR conducts telephone and mail surveys for scientific or policy research for academia, government, and nonprofit organizations.

Types of services offered include:
• Survey Design
• Cognitive Interviewng
• Mail, Web, or Telephone Survey Data Collection
• Survey Analysis and Report Writing
• Data Entry
• Focus Groups
• Instructional Support

Range of Survey Techniques Utilized

Telephone surveys are conducted using OSR's computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) systems in its survey interviewing facility in Berkey Hall on the MSU campus. Each year, OSR manages approximately 30 survey projects, including one-time projects and monthly, quarterly and annually recurring surveys.

Variety of Surveys:

The range of surveys conducted by OSR over the past 10 years has been incredibly diverse, focusing on topics such as:

• land use planning
• recreational and leisure needs
• pesticide use on fruits and vegetables
• fishing trips and expenditures
• fish farming
• farming and skin cancer
• breast cancer screening and prevention
• childhood immunization
• child care needs assessments
• adult foster care services
• care giving burdens and impact on families
• social service needs assessments
• business needs assessments
• business development advice evaluations
• academic advising
• education reform and refinancing
• distance learning technologies
• teacher training

• training needs of automotive workers
• training needs of public administrators
• preparedness of doctoral recipients
• faculty collaboration
• role conflicts of student athletes
• orientation programs for new students
• health concerns and needs of communities
• managed care
• environmental concerns and information
• community service and volunteerism
• race relations
• gun ownership and safety
• the impact of layoffs on health and stress
• crime and prevention programs
• student behavior and retention
• health care utilization and treatment
  decision making