Research and Evaluation Chapter 7 Public Relations: A Values-Driven Process This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: • any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; • preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; • any rental, lease, or lending of the program. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003

Excuses The “really important” parts of the public relations process are planning and communication. We already know everything we need to know. Lack of time, money, and/or know-how.

Critical Questions What do we think we know? What don’t we know?

Linking Research and Evaluation Because public relations is a dynamic process, research and evaluation occur at every phase. Research and evaluation are closely linked.

Uses of Research and Evaluation To formulate strategy To gauge success To test messages To size up the competition To get publicity To sway opinion

Key Questions What do I want to know? How will I gather that information?

What do I want to know? Client research Stakeholder research Problem-opportunity research Evaluative research

How will I gather information? Formal research—presents an accurate picture of reality. Informal research—describes some aspect of reality, but does not necessarily reflect an accurate picture of the larger reality.

Common Research Methods Secondary (library) research Feedback research Communication audits Focus groups Survey research

Secondary (Library) Research Research generated by someone else, sometimes for purposes entirely different from your own An alternative to primary research, which is research generated from scratch Includes published materials, organizational/public records

Feedback Research It enables an organization to receive tangible, often unsolicited, evidence of stakeholder response to its actions. Sources of feedback include telephone calls, letters, clipping services, and the Internet.

Communication Audit Used to determine whether an organization’s communications are consistent with its values-driven mission and goals.

Communication Audit Questions What the are the organization’s goals? How have they been communicated? What is working well? What is not working well? What revisions should be made?

A Communications Grid X X X X X X X X X X X Public #1 Public #2 Channel #1 X X Channel #2 X X X X Channel #3 X Channel #4

Focus Groups An informal research method using interviews with selected individuals to determine knowledge, opinions, predispositions, and behavior. Popular because of cost considerations and instant feedback. Can be a prelude to survey research.

Steps in Focus Group Research Develop questions based on needs Select a skilled moderator Recruit 8-12 participants Record the session Observe the session Limit the discussion Discuss opinions, problems, needs Transcribe session Prepare written report Remember: It is informal research

Survey Research The use of a questionnaire, administered to a carefully selected population, in an effort to make judgments about a much larger population. Survey accuracy depends on having a good questionnaire and selecting a good sample.

The Survey Sample A portion of a public selected to observe for the purpose of drawing conclusions about the public as a whole. A sample is considered representative when it is large enough and every member of the targeted population has an equal chance of being selected for the sample.

The Florida Follies On election night 2000, news organizations inaccurately projected the winner of Florida’s electoral votes. The sample on which the projection was based was not representative of the Florida electorate. It wasn’t the first time a poor sample had led to wrong presidential predictions.

Creating a Sampling Strategy Sampling frame Units of analysis Nonprobability sampling convenience sampling Probability sampling simple random sampling, systematic sampling, cluster sampling, and census

Creating the Survey Instrument Use appropriate language. Questions must be understood. Words should be clear, with specific meanings. The shorter, the better. Avoid word and question order bias. No objectionable questions. Pretest the questionnaire. Address staffing, timing, cost, and training.

Five Ways To Ask Questions Contingency Dichotomous Close-ended Open-ended Rating scale

Analyzing Survey Results Attributes -- characteristics or qualities that describe an object or subject. Variables -- a logical grouping of attributes. Levels of analysis -- univariate , bivariate, and multivariate.