Discovering the Food System Step 3: Community Survey - Getting Ready

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Printer-friendly .pdf version of this page Summary Now that we have talked with a community member directly involved in the food system, it is time to explore another way of getting information. In-person interviews are effective for gathering in-depth information about a topic from a small number of people. In order to find out about the views of a larger group of people, we rely on other methods. By designing, distributing, and discussing a small survey, we can explore what the members of our community think about an aspect of the food system. This is another step in your project that can be small scale, or elaborate, depending on the time issues and the needs of you or your group. It can range from surveying a school classroom and/or students' family members; surveying a grade level; distributing a survey to members of a faith-based community; surveying a target number of adults; or surveying the village, town, neighborhood, etc. on a larger scale. This step is designed to give us a sense of how questionnaires can be designed to give wanted information. If time is an issue, choose an easy target group, and ask a small number of questions Learning Objectives Choose a topic for a survey Identify a survey sample within the community Choose well-designed questions for a short questionnaire Key Concepts Survey Population Sample Representative Subject Questionnaire Scaled Response Activities See Printer-friendly .pdf version of this lesson for complete actvities, background information, handouts, etc. Choosing the topic Choosing a survey sample Preparing a Food System survey Food for Thought Journal Websites used in this lesson: None