FAQ
What is the Beacon Panel?
The Beacon Panel is a new project that researchers at UMass Boston will use to learn about what matters most to Boston residents over time. The Beacon Panel allows residents like yourself the chance to provide your opinions through online surveys. The surveys will occur at various times throughout the year on a wide variety of topics that are important to residents of our city.
Who is running the Beacon Panel?
Beacon is being run by researchers at the Center for Survey Research (CSR) at UMass Boston. We think and hope that you'll value having your say on topics that are important for Bostonians.
How often will you contact me?
We plan to get in touch with you by email every couple of months to ask you a few questions on important and interesting topics. We promise not to spam you, and you can tell us to stop any time you want.
What are the surveys about?
We're interested in what Bostonians like you do in the city for work and in their free time, and what they like (and don't like) about Boston and the neighborhoods where they live.
How much time will the surveys take?
Most surveys should take approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete. We are glad we can offer a small token of our appreciation from time to time for your help.
How was this household chosen?
Your address was randomly selected from all the addresses in the city of Boston. We would like to represent all of Boston. That is why your participation is very important!
Who should complete the survey?
The BEACON Panel is a survey of adults living in selected households. The survey instructions describe who can complete the survey. Once selected, this same person can complete all future surveys.
Can other members of my household participate in the surveys?
At this time, we are only able to invite one adult in your household to be part of the BEACON Panel.
Are answers confidential? What happens with my survey answers?
All the information provided is confidential. In our reports, we never identify who responds. CSR never links answers to the people who answer questions in surveys. CSR put all the survey answers together to produce summaries. These summaries describe Bostonians’ experiences living in the city and they are publicly available. This project has been approved by the Institutional Review Board at UMass Boston.
What if I have other questions?
If you have any questions about the survey, you can email us at beacon@umb.edu or call us at 800-492-5845.