The Delta Residents Survey is a research project being conducted by the University of California Sea Grant program and Sacramento State University, with funding from the Delta Science Program, a state-funded research program for the Delta. The main objective of this research survey is to gain a better understanding of the attitudes, values and well-being of Delta residents related to social and environmental issues. The survey offers the opportunity for community members to have their voices and priorities heard by Delta decision-makers in state and local governments, so that communities’ perspectives can be better represented in policy and management decisions about the Delta.
Please support the DELTA RESIDENTS SURVEY, an important research project being conducted by University of California, California State University and the California state government, to understand and represent Delta community members’ perspectives on key environmental issues
- Who is doing this research? The survey research is being conducted by a collaborative team across the University of California (including CA Sea Grant, UC Davis, and UC Berkeley), CSU Sacramento State University Institute for Social Research, with research funding from the Delta Science Program, a state government funded research program on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. There is no partisan or political affiliation.
- What is the purpose of the survey? The survey aims to better understand residents’ attitudes and experiences with social and environmental issues in the Delta. The survey approach follows scientific methods to target a demographically representative sample and develop accurate data on residents’ attitudes, priorities and values around key issues. The data will be shared with Delta decision-makers to provide on-the-ground public opinion data.
- Who is eligible to respond to the survey? Invitations to participate in the survey will be sent to approximately 50,000 residential addresses across the rural, urban and suburban Delta region. Invitations will be arriving in late January through February 2023. The invitation letters will provide instructions on how to access the survey online, on a mobile device, or to request a paper copy.
- How will the data be used? Why should residents respond? Delta decision-makers have more data on the water flows, fish populations and levees in the Delta than they do on the experiences and perspectives of the nearly 1.5 million people that live in and around the Delta. The Delta Residents Survey aims to collect this important data so that decisions can better incorporate community members perspectives. All responses are anonymous. All participants will be provided a $5 gift card after completing the survey, as a small token of appreciation for their time. Survey results will be available through the Delta Stewardship Council’s Social Science webpage: https://deltacouncil.ca.gov/social-science
Point of contact: Please feel free to reach out to the lead researcher on the project, Dr. Jessica Rudnick (jrudnick@ucsd.edu | (916) 902-6596), at any time with any questions, concerns or requests for additional information. Dr. Rudnick is a University of California Sea Grant extension specialist working in the Delta. She specializes in environmental social science and better understanding communities’ experiences and perspectives on social and environmental issues.