BIKE HELMET SURVEY- PLEASE HELP!!!

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Permalink Reply by Matheis on March 18, 2014 at 5:33pm

Aleks: stop your fear mongering, please.

Fear of Cycling 03 - Helmet Promotion Campaigns

"Of most relevance here is that every call for cyclists to wear, or be forced to wear, helmets demands the association of cycling with danger, and thus the production of fear of cycling."

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Permalink Reply by Anne B. on March 18, 2014 at 5:45pm

Aleks,

I've also had to conduct surveys for classes which weren't on topics that interested me. Still, you need to maintain professionalism and should anticipate that many communities are over-researched- they get asked A LOT to fill out surveys and then often never see anything come of it. That was my initial reaction to your post...I take bike safety issues seriously but just didn't have the energy to do another survey. If you had taken the time to search the site, you'd see that we get a lot of inquiries from researchers, reporters, etc. It's nice to be asked for your opinion but less nice when you give it again and again and nothing seems to come of it. 

This is also also why you should pilot your survey (test it out with a small group of people) to make sure that it works well and that the answer options make sense to the group you're surveying.  Doing this shows that you value the time and opinions of those you're surveying. That might have helped you here and I think Julia's advice is spot-on too. Don't let your take-away from this be "internet people/cyclists are cranky" but try to think about how you presented this survey and why people reacted the way that they did. Partly, yes, internet people ARE cranky but there are valid reasons for some of that and if you want to professionally and ethically interact with any community that requires legwork up front on your part. 

Best,

Someone who has taken way too many survey design courses

Aleks Gornisiewicz said:

Hi Julia,
Thanks for your feedback. It was just a result of disappointment I guess because I didn't think that people would react like that. I mentioned that it is a school project and that it is a campaign on behalf of the Brain Injury Association, which is a non-profit so I though that the nature of public service campaigns is widely known. I also mentioned that it is a specific campaign for a specific cause that we didn't pick but were assigned. So there is no room for my personal opinion in this project, it is based on the information we received from the BIA and the information we collect. And even though all of that was said, I still got replies like "fix the infrastructure", "create more bike lanes", "the bike helmets are not the most important" Maybe they are not but it is the goal of campaign: to encourgae people but not make them scared of riding or present riding as dangerous. We won't be telling people they have to wear helmets but that maybe they should consider it because of the consequences of a potential fall or accident.
It is really not my topic which makes it a lot more difficult.
Again, thanks for your feedback.


Julia 3.5/7.5 mi said:

Hi Aleks,

I wanted to touch on a few points, mostly because I work in higher ed and I see situations like this pop up from time to time.

Understandably, when you work with a client or a class project, you'll find your research has a specific angle or agenda. Going forward, it might be most helpful to outline who is funding this research, and the basis for your questions. I think adding a disclaimer to the top of the survey, indicating that the questions are rooted in brain injury statistics and the reduction in related serious/long-term effects, might have a positive effect in quelling some of the "I have a different opinion" responses. Not that these responses aren't valid - they certainly are - but they're outside of the scope of your current research. You've touched a nerve here because your initial assumptions "wearing a helmet reduces brain injuries; everyone should do it" doesn't align with many of the other elements cyclists consider when riding (cycling infrastructure and traffic speed, for example).

On professionalism, especially if you continue in public places like this forum, I'd recommend that you take a more laid-back approach to criticism. No survey will please everyone, and you'll always get responses you don't like or personally agree with. I do agree with the comment above that a quick search this site would've shown the "wear a helmet/don't wear a helmet" debate to be much deeper and more nuanced than you likely perceived. Personally, I didn't have a problem with filling out the survey initially (besides the multi-options I mentioned above), but now that you've tried to "beat your point" into forum members and resorted to yelling and snide comments, I'm not pleased to be a part of your research. Please do consider the larger picture you represent here - especially your client and Loyola University. I'm not certain about requirements for decorum for your university, but I know there are several "public voice" policies in place where I work, and your comments in this thread would not be aligned to them.

Wishing you the best of luck in your research, and hoping that this experience will help guide and shape your future endeavors -

Julia

Aleks Gornisiewicz said:

haha if that is your goal then what can I say, I feel sorry for you. These professionals at least are trying to do something and I wonder if you are active and do anything to improve the community or change something or all you do is actually hide behind the computer screen where no one can see you and tell others what they should do and what they do wrong. 

I'm not going to address all the ridiculous accusations that appeared in different posts because it would be a waste of time. Yes, I signed up only because I wanted to post the survey but I don't think there is anything wrong with that. Everyone has different opinions and views but they all should be respected and responded to in a little different manner than many of you have done. Also, I'm a student and I STILL LEARN, and yes the survey maybe might have been better or done differently, but it is a part of a learning process. 

Thanks to those who filled out the survey.

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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on March 18, 2014 at 9:15pm

Poor aleks was being bombarded from all sides....I forgive him for mistaking my little joke for enemy fire.

I can't resist pointing out that I have years of experience in brain injury rehabilitation though :-)

Cameron 7.5 mi said:

I can say from experience, both having been active on this forum longer than it took to post one survey to finish a homework assignment and having shown up at lots of bike events, NotoriousDUG, Kevin C, h', and Nick G are all active in trying to improve cycling. You will usually see at least one of them at pretty much any bike advocacy event or public meeting for government projects impacting cycling. Most of the active members of this forum have met them all in person, so I wouldn't say that they're the ones hiding behind their computer sceens.

Aleks Gornisiewicz said:

haha if that is your goal then what can I say, I feel sorry for you. These professionals at least are trying to do something and I wonder if you are active and do anything to improve the community or change something or all you do is actually hide behind the computer screen where no one can see you and tell others what they should do and what they do wrong. 

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