Newark Panel Study - Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies Skip to main content

Newark Panel Study

As the anchor institution of higher education in the city of Newark, Rutgers University -Newark is perfectly suited to develop, implement, and maintain a city-wide survey. The Newark Panel Study aims to do just that – generating a new mechanism to support our relationship with the city while also providing a systematic study of the conditions and needs of the city and its residents. Over time as the panel develops, this would enable the Cornwall Center and RU-Newark to play a critical role in determining how people study Newark, why they study Newark, and what they do with the results. Further, and worth noting, this would generate the first academic panel study of a majority-minority city.

 

A panel study is an investigation of attitude and behavior changes based on information collected from a constant set of people over time. By opting into the panel, respondents would be given opportunities for civic engagement and an added voice in conversations between residents, academics and researchers, non-profit/local/community organizations, and city government about the social issues that affect their day-to-day lives.

 

The Newark Data group has engaged a diverse committee of faculty and staff whose research and advocacy interests center on Newark. The committee is committed to ethical and sound quantitative and qualitative research methodologies and maintaining complete transparency through the provision of up-to-date results to respondents. The results could potentially transform our knowledge and understanding of the city we call home. We have also developed a mentoring relationship with Temple University’s Institute for Social Research (ISR) and their personnel to help us learn about the processes and resources necessary for building a panel study. The relationship with Temple has been particularly fruitful because they too are the public, anchor, institution in the city of Philadelphia and are finishing up the 4th year of a panel study of Philadelphia residents, BeHeard PhillySM. They have graciously offered to mentor and support our efforts to replicate their study in Newark.

 

Panel Study Goals: The general goal of the study is to hear what the people of Newark have to say, understand their lives and the city more clearly with the aim of informing researchers, policymakers, community organizations, and residents themselves. This will be done by:

 

  1. Providing a voice to residents and engaging the community
  2. Build a clear connection between subjects, research, and policies and practices
  3. Providing a transparent platform for sharing information
  4. Provide the opportunity for training and education on issues facing the community

 

A panel study of Newark would provide a potentially rich source of data for student, faculty, and staff research. Scholars beyond Newark could use this resource to incorporate our city into comparative and longitudinal studies of the U.S. cities, ensuring the voice of Newark is heard. The panel sample, survey, and findings could also provide valuable feedback for city and community stakeholders and help them better suit the needs of the city and its residents.

If you are interested in joining the advisory committee of the Newark Data Group or opting into the panel sample, please email Nora Broege, nbroege@newark.rutgers.edu.