FAQ

What is YourVoiceCLT?

YourVoiceCLT is an online community survey panel which allows you to share your opinions by participating in surveys and weighing in on issues that matter to the community of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. We provide summary reports of public opinions in Charlotte-Mecklenburg County so government, civic organizations, and researchers at UNC Charlotte know what residents are thinking about important matters.

How does YourVoiceCLT work?

Once you sign up with your email address, you will receive surveys as they become available on the platform. You can then choose to respond via phone, tablet or computer.

I don’t have access to the internet and/or don’t have an email address, can I still sign up? 

Please contact Diane Gavarkavich at 704-687-1194 for assistance in signing up to the panel.

How does YourVoiceCLT benefit me?

YourVoiceCLT is your opportunity to share your opinions about the things that matter, to bring about positive change in the Charlotte area.

Will my personal information be kept confidential?

Yes, your information will be kept completely confidential. We will only share general findings and will never disclose your personal information, including your contact information. You can review the consent form here.

Why do you ask about political affiliation?         

For survey results from a group to accurately reflect the broader population, we need to make sure we have enough panelists from every group in the county so that all opinions are represented. A recent study by Pew Research Center found that using political variables in addition to standard demographics like age, race, education, sex, and geographic location to weight survey results to reflect the population reduced biases in results. In other words, by making sure the sample of opinions reflects the county proportion of both population characteristics and political affiliation, the surveys are a closer representation of the true county-level opinions.

Why do you ask for my address? How do you use this information?

We use information about your address to make sure that we have representation of opinions across all areas of Mecklenburg County.  Our goal is to provide the most accurate snapshot of public opinion so we need to make sure we hear from people in all areas.  We use the data to help us assign survey weights to make sure our results do not contain too many people from some areas and too few people from other areas. We also use the address data to determine who to select to survey. If we have few panelists from your area of town, you may get many requests to take surveys.  If there are many people in our panel from your area of town, we will randomly select from them to invite them to take a survey. Your address information is kept inside our system and is not released to anyone in the public. Only researchers approved by the University’s Institutional Review Board who oversees research involving human subjects have access to these data.

We also need it so we can send you any physical rewards.

Do I have to respond to every survey?

You are free to respond to how many surveys you want and when you want.

Will I be able to see the results from the surveys?

Yes, survey results will be available on the website once they are ready.

How can I opt out of being a participant?

Simply, deactivate your account. Alternatively, if you are inactive for 3 months, we will remove you from our mailing list. Please note, the second option allows you to come back and reactivate your account and keep the points you previously earned.

Where can I view my points earned from taking surveys?

You can view the points on the main dashboard as well as the rewards tab.

For what can I use my points?

You can redeem your points for bus passes, light rail passes, drawings for bigger prizes, etc., as supplies are available.

I am having trouble redeeming my points. Who can I contact?

Please contact us via the contact page to let us know of your issue.

What is the Urban Institute?

The Urban Institute is a nonpartisan, applied research and community outreach institute at UNC Charlotte, seeking solutions to the social, economic and environmental challenges facing our communities. Please visit https://ui.uncc.edu/ for more details.

What is the Public Policy PhD Program?

The Ph.D. in Public Policy at UNC Charlotte prepares students to be researchers, decision makers and policy analysts in local, state or federal governments, non-profits, industry, and academics. Please visit https://publicpolicy.uncc.edu/ for more details.