Election 2016 Polling Project!

At our teacher meeting in August, we brainstormed what a possible polling project would look like with various high schools. Staffer Gloria Bilchik has been hard at work and thanks to her we now have a project outline.  If you or your school would like to participate in Election 2016 polling, please email [email protected] or call 314-367-6480.

Civitas 2016 Pre-Election Polling: Activity Outline

Purpose of this activity:

• To gather and tabulate data about people’s opinions about current issues
• To experience the challenge [and fun] of on-the-street polling.
• To learn what people are thinking about current issues
• To think analytically about polls in general, and about the specific results and relevance of a random poll like this one.

What students will do:

• Using a pre-printed polling form, with questions provided by Civitas, ask people-on-the-street about their opinions on current issues
• Record the opinions on the form
• Enter the data into a database provided by Civitas
• Have an opportunity to discuss the tabulated data.

What Civitas will provide:

• Polling questions [standardized, so all schools are gathering the same data]
• Pre-printed survey forms, with questions included, for students to fill out as they talk with people on the street
• An on-line database, where students can log in and enter the results of their surveys
• A 30-minute, in-school training session, before or on the scheduled polling day,  in which Civitas staff will go over the poll and train students on how to approach people, how to describe what/why they are doing, how to record opinions and fill out other survey data. We will answer students’ questions about the activity, and offer advice on how to handle challenges, etc. Students will have the opportunity to get familiar with the survey and procedures by trying out the poll on each other.
• Suggestions for locations that have proven to be good places to conduct street polling. [See below.]
• [Optional] One or more Civitas staff to help supervise on the polling day. Must be scheduled in advance, based on Civitas staff availability. You are NOT required to have Civitas staff with you on your polling day.
• Training on data-entry procedures
• Tabulation and summary of data entered.

What classrooms teachers will be responsible for:

• Scheduling a polling day [1/2 day is usually enough]
• Scheduling a pre-polling training session with Civitas
• Choosing a polling location [or more than one, if the group is more than 10 students]
• Providing or arranging transportation to and from the polling location
• Chaperoning the students, or arranging for parent chaperones
• Collecting completed survey sheets
• Supervising data entry after the polling day
• Coordinating planning, dates and locations with Civitas
• Follow-up discussion of collected and tabulated data

Suggested polling day schedule:  [Adapt this to your school’s circumstances]  Weekdays or weekends

• Training session and practice activity [30 min.] Includes teachers and chaperones.
• Travel to polling location [Time will vary]
• Break up students into groups of no more than 3.
• Assign students to different areas of your polling location, so different groups don’t ask the same people for their opinions.
• Polling [About 1.5 hours]
• Return to school
• Total suggested time: 3 – 4 hours, including travel time

Supplies needed:

• Pens
• Clipboards
• Survey forms [provided by Civitas]
• [Optional] Water and/or snacks
• Comfortable walking shoes

Some suggested locations:

Please note: Indoor and outdoor shopping malls—as well as supermarket parking lots– generally do NOT allow this kind of activity. You will most likely be turned down if you try to schedule polling there, and you run the risk of being kicked out if you just show up and start polling.

Please coordinate days and locations with Civitas, so that we don’t have two schools in the same area on the same day.

• University City Loop [after 11 am, when most shops open]
• City Garden [downtown St. Louis]
• Soulard Farmer’s Market
• Clayton [weekdays, near the courthouse, government center and shops]
• Main Street in St. Charles
• Maplewood business district [Manchester and Sutton Ave.]
• Collinsville IL, Main Street
• Tower Grove area

If you or your school would like to participate in Election 2016 polling, please email [email protected] or call 314-367-6480.