Data, Methods, and Ethics

Data

Our class create a common questionnaire.  We considered many possible uses and views of internet use.  We wanted to find out many things about why, how and where people use the internet and how they feel about their usage and other’s usage of the internet.  We gathered information on demographic characteristics: gender, race/ethnicity, marital status, age, education, work status, and where people lived.  We also asked questions about people’s internet use and thoughts.  These questions included but were not limited to: devices owned, personal usage frequency, personal usage place, and their expectations of the usage of the internet by others.  Finally we asked open-ended (qualitative) questions related to the internet.  These included but were not limited to: feelings of normality, social network usage, pressures to go online, and trust involving sensitive information and the internet.

By building the common questionnaire, I learned that every answer had to contain the complete list of all possible answers.  In addition these answers had to worded in a sensitive way that respected all people’s beliefs and feelings.  At the same time we had to work hard to keep the questionnaire short because respondents would fatigue with longer questions.  By keeping the questionnaire as short as possible we hoped respondents would answer all questions and not drop out.  To make sure the questions were clear, we considered many ways to word the questions.  After considering different wording we used the best possible formulation for clarity.  In each case, we tried to avoid bias by using neutral language.

We each needed to find 2 people under 30 (minimum age of 18), 2 people over 30, and one of any age (over 18).  We asked each respondent the same questions and entered the data on the online questionnaire on SurveyMonkey.

Methods

Because I am interested in equality in both education and ethnicity, I choose to analyze three questions.  All three of my questions are quantitative.  The questions are:

Question 1: What race or ethnicity do you consider yourself? (Select all that apply)

a) Black or African American

b) Native American

c) Asian

d) Latino or Hispanic

e) Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
f) Other

Question 2: What is the highest degree or certification that you hold?

a) Grade school, Jr High, or Some High School

b) High School or GED

c) Currently College Student

d) Some college (no degree), not currently enrolled

e) AA

f) Vocational Certificate or Training
g) BA or BS
h) Graduate degree: MA, MBA, JD, PhD, etc.

Question 3: How often do you use the internet on a computer/laptop/iPad.  At home? At work? At School? (Three subquestions)
a) Multiple times per day
b) Once per day
c) Multiple times per week
d) Once per week
e) Multiple times per month
f) Once per month
g) Less often

I chose these questions because previous studies (Lenhart, 2000) indicated that white people were statistically more likely to have access to the internet than black and hispanic people and that there was a positive relationship in education level and access to the internet.  I hypothesis that my data will show an overall increase in usage, as well as a greater increase in minority internet usage.

I then coded my data and removed demographics with small sample sizes.  It would not make sense to extrapolate information from such a small number of individuals.

Question 1

I removed any category with a population of less than five.  I feel that extrapolating data from such a small population would be inaccurate.

I removed any non-responses.

I combined subjects who responded with more than one race.  The two are “White or European American” and “Asian” (White/Asian) and “White or European American” and “Latino or Hispanic” (White/Latino).

Question 2

I removed any category with a population less than three.

“Some college (no degree), not currently enrolled” was shortened to “Some college”

Question 3

I have replaced blank entries with “n/a”.  I am assuming that people who did not respond to these subquestions do not currently work or go to school.  In the graphs I removed the “n/a” responses to allow for an easier comparison.

One subject was removed for not responding to any question.

Using this information I generated percentages to analyze the data.

Ethics

In order to be sensitive, we carefully considered how the questions would make people feel.  Every respondent was read the following informed consent text:

“I am requesting your participation in an interview of approximately thirty minutes for a class project. The questions will include background information such as age and gender as well as questions about political beliefs, news and media consumption, and values.

The results of the research study will be part of my final research project for a class I am taking this term. The information will only be used in this class by other students and will be published on a website for my final project. At the end of the study, the data will be erased and the website will be removed.

Your participation in this study is voluntary. All information is anonymous. No names or identifying information is being collected or will be used. Pseudonyms will be used for all data collected. If you do not wish to answer some or all of the questions you are free to say "pass" or "next question" or "decline to state" at any time. At any time you may stop participating, change your mind about answering any questions, and/or withdraw from the study altogether. You may stop the interview at any time, for any reason.

Do you consent to participate? (YES answer necessary to proceed). Thank you!”

We considered the following ethical concerns: making sure that respondents knew they did not have to answer every question, obtaining informed consent, and removing all identifying information.  We respected anonymity.