Why Public Opinion Research for Transportation


What happens when public opinion catches you off-guard?




Effective and Valid Public Opinion Research Needs to Be a Key Component of Your Public Involvement Efforts


A good deal of public opinion research in transportation consists of informal focus groups, town hall meetings, stakeholder interviews, and non-scientific and non-random kiosk or library surveys. These may or may not meet federal project requirements for obtaining public feedback, but they do not provide accurate and generalizable public opinion data. Why spend thousands of dollars inaccurately measuring opinion? Why put your expensive project, policy, or campaign at risk by misgauging public reaction?


Effective survey and focus group research can tell you:

  • The priorities and engagement of the public and stakeholders;
  • The messaging and strategy to get public opinion where you need it to be to have adequate support for a project or policy;
  • The best way to communicate with the public.


By using statistically valid and methodologically rigorous research, you can exceed state and federal requirements, all while accurately measuring opinion of all of the public, not just the voices of the loudest activists or the strongest interests.