Telephone Survey

A telephone survey to be conducted by The Social Research Centre will form the core of Stage 1 of the research project.  Survey participants will be chosen at random using a computerised telephone interviewing system. Overall, 4000 residents across the four participating councils will be interviewed, with 500 telephone interviews being conducted with residents in each of the eight suburbs selected. The suburbs selected for inclusion in the project are as follows:

These suburbs were chosen in consultation with the participating councils.

The survey itself takes approximately 15 minutes to complete, and includes a range of questions examining civic engagement, people’s participation in local events, their membership of groups and associations, and their social and support networks.  Further information is available in our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section below or by contacting the project manager Dr Damon Alexander at dta@unimelb.edu.au.

Connecting Government to Community: A study of social and political connectivity at the municipal level.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is conducting the ‘Connecting Government to Community’ survey?

The ‘Connecting Government to Community’ survey is being conducted by the Social Research Centre on behalf of the University of Melbourne in partnership with the Australian Research Council, VicHealth, and Knox, Manningham, Maribyrnong and Port Phillip City Councils.

What is the main objective of the research project?

The main objective of the research project is to increase our understanding of the networks linking citizens, community groups and government at the local level. We are particularly interested in:

How/why was I selected to participate in this study?

Your household was randomly selected to participate in this survey along with 4,000 others. All phone numbers for the study were automatically generated by computer through a technique known as Random Digit Dialing (RDD). This technique gives everyone a chance to participate and not just those people whose phone numbers are listed in the White Pages.

Why was I contacted to complete the survey when I have registered on the Australian governments ‘Do Not Call Register’?

Under the provisions of the ‘Do Not Call Register’ market and social researchers conducting legitimate opinion polling and standard questionnaire-based research are exempt from the new restrictions.

Is the information I provided in the survey confidential?

Yes. The information you provide will be treated in the strictest confidence and you will not be identified to anyone from your individual responses. By law (the Commonwealth Privacy Act), we cannot release information about individuals collected in the survey.

What is the relationship between my council and the research project?

Each council involved in the project has committed a small amount of funding to the project budget and is represented on the project steering committee. The majority of the project’s funding is being provided by the Australian Research Council and VicHealth. The research project itself is being conducted independently by the research team based at the University of Melbourne.

I initially agreed to complete the interview, but now wish to withdraw my participation.  How do I do this?

You are free to withdraw from the study at anytime by telephoning the Social Research Centre on 1800 023040 and asking them to withdraw your unprocessed interview data.

Will the research findings be made public?

The research findings will be made public through a range of academic papers and publications, conference papers and seminars.  Details, and where possible, copies of papers, will be posted on the project website at: http://www.politics.unimelb.edu.au/networks/social/current/

How can I get more information about this research project?

If you would like more information on this project please visit our website at http://www.politics.unimelb.edu.au/networks/social/current/

Alternatively, please feel free to call the project manager Dr Damon Alexander on

03) 8344 4080 or email dta@unimelb.edu.au