Methodology Summary

The Generation Lab conducts ongoing surveys that measure attitudes and views of the American youth on current issues and policies. With technological advances and growing desires for privacy, computer devices have become a favorable method of completing surveys, especially among the younger generation. Web surveys have also shown to present a more comprehensive set of data than many other modes of data collection. The Generation Lab’s approach is influenced by these trends and relies heavily on web surveys to efficiently collect data nationwide, reduce costs, and minimize errors of manual data entry.

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Our panels:

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• Student panel: We have built up the largest database of college students nationwide to conduct high-volume, customizable polling on various segments of the college demographic. The panel includes students from across the country, including those attending community colleges, HBCUs, and women-only colleges. Our team utilizes a randomized list of all colleges and obtains student contacts through a set of proprietary methods. The final frame closely resembles a probability sample of college students in the United States. 

• General Youth panel: Through an innovative approach, we leverage the unique characteristics of this generation. This panel is recruited to closely resemble a probability-based sample through academically-guided, advertisement-based, geographic recruitment with quota sampling. This panel includes individuals of all backgrounds aging 18-29.

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Questionnaire Design: Our team reviews, edits, and sorts questions for methodological soundness and consistency. We provide you with feedback about the questions and how they might be better phrased or sorted to best address what your team is trying to answer.
 

Fielding the Survey: To poll students and young people, we select a random sample of respondents from our proprietary respondent database. We program surveys online and deliver them digitally via verified email addresses. Our survey platform is designed to streamline the polling process for respondents, maintain exceptional data integrity, and enhance data collection.

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Data Quality and Integrity: We verify respondent identity using email addresses, phone numbers, and additional screening in our questionnaire. Throughout the polling process, we utilize a variety of features to ensure the highest integrity of the data that we collect, including survey protocols prohibiting multiple responses, preventing speeding, flagging invalid inputs, and straight-lining.

 

Results and Analysis: After we have collected responses, we compile and clean the data. We weight the results based on gender and race, using statistics from the United States Department of Education and the Census Bureau. In addition to topline results, we leverage our extensive database, which includes comprehensive demographic information about the respondents, to conduct thorough analysis and decode results that inform your decisions. 

 

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