State-of-the-Art Survey Research Lab Opens for Campus and Community

Faculty in the Department of Sociology and Criminology celebrated its long-awaited opening of a state-of-the-art Survey Research Lab in late fall with a community and campus open house. Along with the University of Georgia and Kennesaw State University, UWG is one of only three institutions in the state to offer the services of a survey research lab.

University of West Georgia graduate research assistant Ashley Petersen assists Carroll County Commissioner Bill Chappell at the new university Survey Research Lab.

The lab will be accessible to faculty, graduate and undergraduate students and organizations in the community, said Dr. Jane McCandless, professor and chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminology.

“The lab may conduct surveys ranging from gender-related issues to surveys for mass communication purposes,” said McCandless. “The possibilities are truly endless.”

Unlike other labs of this caliber, this lab has been built, in large part, by funds generated by faculty in the Department of Sociology and Criminology. 

“This lab is faculty built,” said McCandless. “This required an extreme commitment from all faculty members involved.”

The new survey lab will have 11 interviewing stations with one supervising station. Each individual station will have a computer and headphones that will allow the surveyor to communicate with the person taking the survey. On each computer screen, a script will be shown for the surveyor to read and follow while conducting the survey. After the surveys are complete, a supervisor can begin accessing all the data from the stations and begin analyzing and compiling data for specific studies.

To conduct the surveys, lists of phone numbers and a process known as random digit dialing will be used. All surveys are completely voluntary, and no one is required to participate.

For more information about the lab, call 678-839-6505.