ISU research team seeks input on environmental study

A team from Idaho State University is conducting a research project to gather public opinions and beliefs about Idaho’s land, water and air, and is seeking cooperation from the public in filling out a questionnaire that will be mailed in mid October.

The questionnaire is being mailed to people in the Idaho Falls, Twin Falls and Pocatello areas.

During spring 2005 and the 2005-2006 academic year, ISU graduate and undergraduate students conducted personal interviews with people across southeastern Idaho about their environmental views. The interview results have been incorporated into the questionnaire, which will be mailed out to a selection of southeast Idaho’s business managers and owners, farmers, and ranchers.

Researchers say that the success of the project depends on a good response rate—that is, they hope that 50 percent or more of those who receive surveys will fill them out and return them. Unless they obtain that response rate, they cannot generalize the findings to people in southeastern Idaho.  The researchers are emphasizing that each opinion matters.

The team involved in this study includes four people:  ISU sociology associate professor and chair Dr. Ann Hunter, ISU sociology graduate student Kiesha Frazier, and ISU sociology seniors Meredith Johnson and Susan Wickam.For more information, contact Kiesha Frazier at frazkies@isu.edu or Ann Hunter at oakeann@isu.edu or (208) 282-3463.