The Philadelphia Resident Survey 2019

January, 2020

The City of Philadelphia partnered with Temple's Institute for Survey Research and BeHeardPhilly℠ to conduct their second comprehensive survey to measure public opinion on the delivery of city services such as street repairs and garbage collection, policing, and health services and on the conditions of facilities such as parks and recreation centers. The goal was to identify priorities among residents.

Mayor Kenney says the Philadelphia Resident Survey reflects his commitment to engage residents from every neighborhood in the City. The survey was conducted in English, Simplified Chinese and Spanish. Results will directly inform the Mayor's second term priorities and strategic initiatives.

Over 11,000 Philadelphia residents weigh in on city services. Beccah Hendrickson has more on Action News at 5 p.m. on January 14, 2020.

Social & Economics

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Blooming with Studies! Two Upcoming Studies You Should Know About

April, 2019

Spring is here! Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, and BeHeardPhilly has new studies to participate in! As you know, BeHeardPhilly was created to allow the community to have a voice in timely and impactful community issues. Well, these new studies will not disappoint.

In recent years, the public eye has been taking a closer look at police departments across the country and the impact of body cameras on their safety and the safety of others. Introducing The Citizen Survey! In partnership with Temple’s Department of Criminal Justice and sponsored by the National Institute of Justice, The Citizen Survey briefly examines the role that body cameras play in police training, behavior, decision making, and overall relationship with the community they protect. This is sure to be an eye opening study!

Many of you may remember being selected to participate in the PHL Resident Survey in 2016 or the PHL Resident Focus Groups in 2017. In those two projects, The City of Philadelphia was interested in how residents felt about City services like parks and recreation, streets and sanitation, and health and human services. The survey also asked about resident experiences with police and contacting the City.

After some visible impact to some of these services, the PHL Resident Survey 2019 will ask questions about city services and resident experiences to see if they have improved. If you are a member of BeHeardPhilly, you may have the opportunity to chime in on things that matter to you and your neighborhood.

Be on the lookout for both of the surveys this spring 2019. If you’re already a member of BeHeardPhilly, then you’ll be notified to participate in these studies, if you’re eligible. For more information on how to become a BeHeardPhilly member, visit our website beheardphilly.com or call (215) 204-5858.

NOTE: The featured image is not an official flyer and is only for the purposes of this blog.

Author: Dionna Jones

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We're Engaged! Here's How We Engaged With The Community in 2018

March, 2019

At this point you may be familiar with our name and our logo. These are things you’ve seen on flyers and pens, tables and posters. It’s time that we introduce you to Gil, the face you may have also seen last year, especially in the summer.

As the Community Engagement Coordinator, Gil set up shop at many community events. He also made several connections with the City of Philadelphia in the hopes of even more events in the future.

Gil hails from Southwest Philadelphia so this is not just a job to him. Connecting with people in his city is his passion. Here is a recap of the events that BeHeardPhilly participated in and places where you may have run into Gil:

Gil and the BeHeardPhilly Community Engagement team manned a booth at the 2018 Radio One BE Expo. The expo featured vendors, workshops, live performances, and an opportunity for empowerment and fun for the community.

2018 Jazz on the Ave sponsored by Beech Community Services is an annual family friendly community festival featuring live Jazz and R&B, vendors, food and children’s activities. Last August the event coincided with Philly Free Streets, a City initiative that temporarily closes streets to cars, allowing walkable bike-able playable space for Philadelphians. With both of these events taking place on the same day and in our own backyard, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to connect with so many Philadelphians in the area. The team worked their magic and was able to have tables at two places at once!

Some other events and community meetings BeHeardPhilly attended throughout 2018 included:

Free Library of Philadelphia Parent Forums

The Dell Summer Music Series

ACLU Traveling Prison Reform Series

Mayor’s Office of Black Male Engagement (OBME) meetings.

At all of these events, our Community Engagement team is focused making connections with community and organization members in order to introduce BeHeardPhilly, inform people about the benefits and real time change they can be a part of, and invite them to partner with us or sign up. So be on the lookout in 2019 for Gil, our community engagement team, and BeHeardPhilly! Invite BeHeardPhilly to your next event! Want to know where we’ll be next? Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!

Arts & Culture

Author: Dionna Jones

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BeHeardPhilly to Attend Culture of Data Conference in Colorado

March, 2017

I am so excited about this invitation to speak in the great Rocky Mountain state at the end of June. Besides being a mountain biker I love that the Colorado Public Health community is so entrepreneurial. I’ve been invited to speak at the Culture of Data conference hosted by the Colorado Public Health Association. The theme of this year’s meeting is Engaging Communities to Drive Health Equity. The reason I think this opportunity is so cool is that this conference is about connecting community with data, particularly the underserved and racial ethnic/minority communities that experience inequities. I share below just ONE goal of the conference that so closely aligns with the mission of BeHeardPhilly – to develop and cultivate relationships and partnerships between communities and researchers –

To develop and cultivate relationships and partnerships between communities and researchers seeking to achieve health equity.

Philadelphia, like Denver has not achieved health equity for all of its residents, few US urban centers have. There are many reasons under the social determinants of health umbrella as to why we have not moved the health equity needle enough – but one very important reason that survey researchers know about but are at a loss to solve, is the mistrust of government and authority by under-resourced community members. They have been left behind for so long, why now? All survey researchers know that response rates across all communities have been plummeting. Some of the reasons we like to cite include disappearance of landlines, cell-phone portability, aggressive and invasive robo-dialers, and the diminishing sense of privacy in our lives. Top that with general mistrust and you have a recipe for disaster in terms of collecting data from and using data to improve under-resourced communities. Before we launched BeHeardPhilly a few of us sat around a table asking ourselves, why do we keep reinventing the wheel at the same price every time we collect data in our own city? What can we do to stop this from happening generally, but also, how do we connect with our Philadelphia residents in such a way that they see the value in taking surveys, in speaking up, in having their voices heard on important issues that matter to them? How do we begin to establish a level of trust and connection to our own communities?

In November of 2014 we set out to test the feasibility of building the country’s first municipal opt-in panel. We decided to build an opt-in panel because we wanted to start from a place of building trust and allowing all residents the opportunity to have their voices heard. How could we go to communities and say – only you, you, and you can be included in this effort, that feels EXclusive and not INclusive and feels as if you’ve just said, we only value a few of your voices.

To make a long story short, two and a half years later, we have over 8000 Philadelphia residents enrolled in our BeHeardPhilly panel representing every zip code in the city. Now we have a long way to go to reach a representative group that would include all valued residents of Philadelphia, that include our Spanish speaking, Asian, Immigrant and all communities of color. Philadelphia is a beautiful tapestry and those of us who live here value that vibrant diversity. At BeHeardPhilly, we want to encourage all communities to participate, to join, and to make their voices heard by taking surveys. Additionally we want to improve the science of using opt-in panels. We can collect a probability-based sample any old day at any old time -and don’t get me wrong, there continues to be a time and place for gold standard science. Yes, they are very expensive ($100K+ in a city like Philadelphia) which keeps .edu, .org and .gov institutions from affording them – which lessens the likelihood that municipal governments and social advocacy organizations can collect and use data to inform practice and policy. I heard a fellow entrepreneur use this phrase recently “Are we comfortable”? “No” – keep working. “Are we comfortable yet?” “Yes” – time to move on. At Temple’s Institute for Survey Research we value all aspects of the survey research industry, including the traditional probability-based samples and qualitative richness of focus groups and interviews that have historically driven our local, state and federal estimates about the population. But as they say, times are a changin’ – and if you don’t change with them, you get left behind.

Author: Heidi Grunwald

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One Year and Counting...

January, 2017

What was once a (perceived) silly idea is now more real than we ever imagined. BeHeardPhilly turned one! For those of you just making our acquaintance, we are here to give a voice to all Philadelphians. We want the people of Philadelphia to be heard by those making decision that directly affect you! Here is what our first year looked like:

Humble beginnings...

Fall 2015 – Once we got the makings of a really groundbreaking movement together, we knew it had to be tested on a small scale first. That’s where Germantown came in. The Germantown section of Philadelphia is as historic as it is diverse. We don’t want to get too scientific on you guys, but let’s just say that if Germantown was its own city (and not a section within Philly), it would mirror Philadelphia almost identically.

Historic Philadelphia

Ever since the Germantown pilot and once 2016 hit...our little project took off! People started writing and reading about BeHeardPhilly in a major way and we wouldn’t have been more excited about it!

Philly.com (That day was awesome!)

3/9/16 Temple University Seeks to Understand City with New Survey Method

The Citizen (We partnered with these guys for a number of polls over the summer)

4/11/16 Speak Up Philly
5/5/16 Philly Poll: Yes To Soda Tax
6/10/16 Philadelphia Is Trying To Connect With Its Least-Heard Residents
6/14/16 Are You Satisfied?
6/15/16 Scenes From A (Soda Tax) Protest
7/15/16 BEHEARDPHILLY / CITIZEN POLL: Yes, Poverty is A Crisis
8/9/16 Parking on the Broad Street Median?
8/22/16 South Philly Split on Broad Street Parking

Philly Voice

6/13/16 Philly-Based Research Group Working to Give All Residents Chance to be Heard

We were even on the radio...

5/7/16 900AM WURD (So cool!)
5/7/16 WURD Up Show!

We are committed to helping you raise your voice, but in order to do so you have to join! Call us (215-204-5858), send us an email (hello@beheardphilly.com), or head to this page our website. We thank you for an amazing first year! There's so much in store for 2017 and we can’t wait to share it with you.

Author: Dionna Jones

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New Website, Who dis?

May, 2017

We’ve under gone quite a few changes from our humble beginnings. If you haven’t already noticed, we've upgraded our look! Many thanks to the Mole Street team for our new digs.

We’ve had a blast thus far, but want to make sure our fellow Philadelphians are happy. With the New Year well underway, we have amazing new things in store for 2017. Of course, it’s not enough that we are excited about the New Year; we want you to be too. We want to hear what you want to see from us in 2017 but first, you have to join.

How it Works

Next, we’d like you to follow us on social media. We’ve been quiet lately, but we promise you won’t want to miss our posts in the New Year!

BeHeardPhilly on Twitter

BeHeardPhilly on Instagram

BeHeardPhilly on Facebook

Let us know what you think, how we can improve, or that we’re doing a good job. We'd love to hear to hear from you, it's kind of our thing. :-)

Author: Dionna Jones

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Philly, Is Your Voice Being Heard? Let Us Help!

January, 2017

Philadelphians are known for their strong opinions on sports (Eagles, Sixers, and Flyers) and food (Pat’s vs Gino’s). This is a community that doesn’t hold its tongue and when rallying around an issue, we get results. We at Temple University’s Institute for Survey Research (ISR) recognize this and want to tap into it.

Owned, managed, and operated by Temple University’s Institute for Survey Research, BeHeardPhilly is the first city-wide survey panel! This unique survey panel gives Philadelphia residents the opportunity to actually share their thoughts and opinions on issues that are important and directly affect them. Temple ISR can connect researchers interested in the Philadelphia perspective, (such as local government, nonprofit orgs and academic researchers) with survey participants. Those who have signed up can participate in surveys about public health, crime/violence, transportation, and education just to name a few. Anyone who signs up can choose their own contact method and how often they are contacted. Survey responses will always be confidential. Your responses will only be shared with the BeHeardPhilly team and researchers analyzing the data from survey results.

After all of that, you may be asking yourself, “So….how do I sign up?!” Just visit the How It Works page on our website, follow the instructions and begin taking surveys. You can also text @ISR to 39242. If computers or texting isn't your thing, give us a call (215-204-8355) and someone from our team would be happy to sign you up. Keep in mind, you have to be 18 or older and live in Philadelphia. That means North, South, West, and everything in between.

Want to know more? Check out the FAQs on our website. We are also pretty active on social media, so tweet, follow and like away!

#BeHeardPhilly

Author: Dionna Jones

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Streets Department – March 2016

March, 2016

In a mission to provide clean and safe streets in a cost-effective and efficient manner, the Philadelphia Streets Department partnered with BeHeardPhilly℠ to get feedback from citizens to determine how people travel throughout the city. The Streets Department’s main goal was to better understand traffic safety in Philadelphia. Because the Streets Department provides a number of City services that are critical to maintaining public health and safety in our communities, the survey was used to help them better determine how effective their methods are.

BeHeardPhilly℠ members were asked questions such as, “How much do you think that traffic safety is an important issue” and “In your opinion, how important is it that drivers obey the speed limit” as well as knowledge questions like, “What is the speed limit in a school zone in Philly when the lights are flashing” and “While driving, to pass a person biking, a driver must give the biker how many feed of clearance space”.

For this project BeHeardPhilly℠ field team visited 12 intersections with high crash rate throughout Philadelphia. See below map of high crash rate intersections. While on location, the field team observed traffic patterns/behaviors and administered the survey to passersby.

Transportation

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Parking - August 2016

August, 2016

As a result of parking laws being strictly enforced during the Democratic National Convention (DNC), a parking survey came to fruition. Cars were banned from parking on the Broad Street median between Washington and Oregon Avenues, a law that has always been prevalent, though not strictly enforced unless there are special events such as the DNC, the Broad Street Run, etc. Due to a lack of action from the parking authority regarding this issue, advocates for stricter parking enforcement called upon the city to permanently enforce the ban on parking on the Broad Street Median.

Through partnership with The Philadelphia Citizen, Passyunk Square Civic Association, Newbold Civic Association, Point Breeze Community Development Corporation, Girard Estate Area Residents, Newbold Neighbors Association and West Passyunk Neighbors Association, a survey was developed to look at parking issues in South Philadelphia. One question asked, "How important is the issue of parking on the Broad Street median to you?"

Transportation

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Uber/Lyft - December 2016

December, 2016

In October 2014 Uber began offering its ride hailing app in Philadelphia. Lyft, its major competitor in the region, came to Philadelphia a few months later. In just three months during this past summer 2016, the companies made a combined $53 million in the city.

Much has been said of how the industry is changing the modes in which we travel. We sought to learn more specifics about how people are using this new service and how they feel about ride hailing apps in general.

Residents of the city of Philadelphia were invited to share their insight on how the technology has changed their way of getting around.

Transportation

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The Philadelphia Resident Survey 2019

January

May

February

December

September

August

July

June

May

March

February

December

January, 2020

Blooming with Studies! Two Upcoming Studies You Should Know About

April

March

May

March

January

April, 2019

Author: Dionna Jones

We're Engaged! Here's How We Engaged With The Community in 2018

April

March

May

March

January

March, 2019

Author: Dionna Jones

BeHeardPhilly to Attend Culture of Data Conference in Colorado

April

March

May

March

January

March, 2017

Author: Heidi Grunwald

One Year and Counting...

April

March

May

March

January

January, 2017

Author: Dionna Jones

New Website, Who dis?

April

March

May

March

January

May, 2017

Author: Dionna Jones

Philly, Is Your Voice Being Heard? Let Us Help!

April

March

May

March

January

January, 2017

Author: Dionna Jones

Streets Department – March 2016

January

May

February

December

September

August

July

June

May

March

February

December

March, 2016

Parking - August 2016

January

May

February