Publication in October Issue of Online Journal Survey Practice
Survey
Practice is an official publication
of the American Association for Public Opinion Research.
Its mission is to provide current information on issues in
survey research and public opinion that is useful to survey
and public opinion practitioners, new survey researchers,
and those interested in survey and polling methods.
The articles
in Survey
Practice emphasize useful and
practical information designed to enhance survey quality by
providing a forum to share advances in practical survey
methods, current information on conditions affecting survey
research, and interesting features about surveys and people
who work in survey research.
The October 2008
issue contains an article by Sid Groeneman, “How Much Do
Americans Like Jews: Approaches to Social Attitude
Measurement”: http://surveypractice.org/2008/10/30/how-much-do-americans/
. The paper reviews public
opinion toward Jews and cautions against over-reliance
on research based on measuring stereotypes and social
distance.
Personnel Note: Michael
Groeneman Off to College
Part-time I.T. consultant to GR&C and Apple products
specialist, Michael Groeneman, left company headquarters in
September to attend Carleton College in Northfield,
Minnesota (major field TBD). Michael was instrumental in
choosing, setting up, and maintaining much of the company’s
computer/network infrastructure and website. Although he’ll
be gone from the premises except during vacations, Michael
has the capability of advising and trouble-shooting from
afar. Although we will miss his on-site presence, we want
to wish Michael “all the best” in his college career!
“Staying
Ahead of the Curve 2007: The AARP Work and Career
Study” (published
October, 2008)
As
a subcontractor to Synovate, Sid Groeneman was the primary
author of an extensive survey report for AARP about the
conditions and challenges encountered by older workers
(45-75), and their plans for retirement. This study
followed similar AARP research conducted in 2002 to also
examine changes during the 5-year interval. The survey
included booster samples of older African-Americans and
Hispanic workers to facilitate in-depth analysis of those
groups.
The report
clearly shows that workers in this age group want to stay
on the job, as long as businesses and policy makers address
their wants and needs. Similar to findings from previous
surveys, this latest survey shows that these workers are
motivated to work for a variety of reasons, both financial
and non-financial, but immediate financial needs are the
most common motivator. The research also found, among other
things: (1) that seven in ten workers in this age group
want to continue working in their “retirement” (for
financial and non-financial reasons), with most of them
preferring part-time work; (2) six in ten believe that age
discrimination exists in the workplace, and 13% say they
have personally experienced such discrimination; (3) about
two-thirds of them (65%) are looking for better ways to
balance their work and personal life.
The full, 179-page report can be accessed at:
http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/econ/work_career_08.pdf.
Consulting for
NISH
GR&C
is currently working with Catoctin Consulting on a contract
to provide research design, data collection and analysis
services for NISH’s Office of Economic Empowerment. NISH is
a national nonprofit agency designated by the federal
Committee for Purchase to support nonprofit agencies
participating in the AbilityOne Program (formerly
Javits-Wagner-O’Day), which provides employment
opportunities for people who are blind or have other
severe disabilities by procuring Federal contracts for
goods and services.
Collaboration with the National Opinion Research Center on
United Jewish Communities' Study of Geographic Mobility
Groeneman Research and Consulting is
teaming with the National Opinion Research Center (NORC),
affiliated with the University of Chicago, to help UJC
develop a practical guide for communities to use in
confronting changes in philanthropy, volunteerism and
affiliation that are linked to shifts in geographic
mobility. The final report will contain practical findings,
policy recommendations and strategies intended to benefit
the federation system. These findings and strategies will
be reported and presented to local and national Jewish
communal leaders, and will be disseminated to the
federation system at large. Sid Groeneman is co-managing a
major research component of this project -- an analysis of
the correlates and consequences of residential movements,
based on data from nine local Jewish community surveys and
the 2000-2001 National Jewish Population Survey.