Opinion Survey Research Articles

A Relational Approach to Shifting Gen Z and Millennial Environmental Beliefs

While survey data identifies that most Gen Z and Millennials are anxious about climate change, are supportive of climate activists, and agree that climate change is anthropogenic, that same data fails to nuance these generations' intersectional and relational environmental beliefs. The problem is both methodological and rhetorical, because assumptions built into closed-question public opinion surveys can fail to match younger generations' perceptions on the environment. Additional research methods concerned with capturing these relations, including the cognitive interviews that survey designers already employ, could illuminate these environmental perspectives. We see models for this approach in the preliminary interviews used in large-scale surveys, in the field of climate psychology, and in arguments for ecological rhetoric in communication studies. Building from these fields, we provide example questions that are emblematic of these relational environmental and argue for increasing numbers of smaller, qualitative studies which investigate the many relations that younger generations already experience.

A Survey of Students' Opinions About the Curriculum and Their Satisfaction With the Atmosphere of the University and the Learning Process As A Whole

Objective: The purpose of this study is to offer an instrument to investigate students' opinions about the curricula and their level of satisfaction with the atmosphere of the university and the learning process as a whole. The purpose of creating this instrument is to provide one of the principles of the European Quality Assurance Standards and Guidelines for Higher Education (ESG) 2015. This is the principle of considering the needs as well as the expectations of students in quality assurance in higher education. Theoretical Framework: To develop the tool suggested here, an extensive review of the research in the field was conducted, part of which is presented in this paper. Method: To investigate the reliability of the instrument, a survey was conducted among a representative sample including a total of 160 undergraduate and graduate students studying social sciences in the period 2020-2024 at Technical University-Varna, Bulgaria. Results and Discussion: The results demonstrate the reliability of using research-based student needs and expectations in determining student satisfaction with the university as a unit. The results also demonstrate the reliability in using the findings from the application of the questionnaire in understanding the extent to which a higher education institution, faculty or specialty, has succeeded in accounting for students' needs and expectations in providing the quality of higher educationе. Value: This research highlights the importance of the needs and the expectations of the students in ensuring the quality of higher education. Its contribution lies in providing a tool for their reporting.

Culture-led Regeneration in Historical and Cultural Areas

Despite embracing various historical and cultural values, historical areas of Iran are experiencing massive changes in their functional, social and physical profiles, often without apt recognition of the role of culture in urban regeneration. This paper aims to examine the role of culture-led regeneration in enhancing the quality of a cultural and historical district in Mashhad, Iran and determine appropriate spatial strategies. Based on a critical literature review, this paper presents a conceptual framework for culture-led regeneration, which considers different approaches to culture-led regeneration and their associated spatial strategies: competitive-led, community-led and creativity-led. The framework's applicability in our case study is then assessed through multiple methods, including field observation, reviewing secondary documents and a three-round Delphi survey of experts' opinions. Our findings reveal the applicability of the three approaches to culture-led regeneration in the selected area considering context-specific adaptation. The results also highlight that community-led and then creativity-led strategies are perceived as more essential than competitive-led ones. The paper also offers practical implications for designing the historical district based on the prioritised approaches and strategies.

Attitudes of Teachers, Students, and the Public Toward Stuttering in India: A Comparison

Purpose: People who stutter experience societal misconceptions and negative stereotypes due to cultural prejudices. The present study aimed to compare attitudes toward stuttering of Indian teachers, students, and members of the public and to further compare their attitudes to comparable samples regionally and internationally. Method: Five hundred eighteen adults completed the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes–Stuttering (POSHA-S), translated into Kannada, which was analyzed according to standard protocol. Summary and selected item scores were compared from samples of teachers ( n = 125), students ( n = 233), and the public ( n = 160). Additionally, the scores were compared to those from South Asian samples and an international POSHA-S database. Results: Teachers in the current study had the most positive stuttering attitudes, followed by the public and then by students. The summary attitude scores obtained by all three groups were more positive attitudes compared to other South Asian samples and either similar to or slightly less positive than the international POSHA-S database average sample rating. Education and income were small but significant predictors of more—or less—positive attitudes, but gender, age, and familiarity with stuttering were not. Conclusions: While teachers demonstrated a greater understanding of stuttering compared to the public and students, the lack of understanding among the latter groups highlights the need for increased awareness and education about stuttering across various segments of society. Negative social reactions toward stuttering, observed in different cultural contexts, further emphasize the need for awareness about stuttering. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.27855195

Cross-cultural narratives of weaponised artificial intelligence: Comparing France, India, Japan and the United States

Stories about ‘intelligent machines’ have long featured in popular culture. Existing research has mapped these artificial intelligence (AI) narratives but lacks an in-depth understanding of (a) narratives related specifically to weaponised AI and autonomous weapon systems and (b) whether and how these narratives resonate across different states and associated cultural contexts. We speak to these gaps by examining narratives about weaponised AI across publics in France, India, Japan and the US. Based on a public opinion survey conducted in these states in 2022–2023, we find that narratives found in English-language popular culture are shared cross-culturally, although with some variations. However, we also find culturally distinct narratives, particularly in India and Japan. Further, we assess whether these narratives shape the publics’ attitudes towards regulating weaponised AI. Although respondents demonstrate overall uncertainty and lack of knowledge regarding developments in the sphere of weaponised AI, they assess these technologies in a negative-leaning way and mostly support regulation. With these findings, our study offers a first step towards further investigating the extent to which weaponised AI narratives circulate globally and how salient perceptions of these technologies are across different publics.

평생교육 연계협력 사업의 평가준거 개발 연구

In recent government policy directions aimed at promoting lifelong education, collaboration and cooperation have become an important focal point in the field of lifelong education. Concurrently, the importance of evaluation to manage the quality of collaborative lifelong education initiatives has increased. Accordingly, this study aimed to develop evaluation criteria for lifelong education collaborative cooperation project and verify their validity. Initially, preliminary evaluation domains and criteria were drafted through a literature review, followed by expert opinion surveys to refine the draft. Subsequently, two rounds of Delphi surveys were conducted to revise and adjust the criteria, ultimately establishing the validity of 11 evaluation domains and 25 criteria. This study holds significance in its attempt to provide an operational definition and clarify the categories of lifelong education collaborative cooperation projects, distinguishing them as project units rather than merely as implementation methods. Based on these findings, the study suggests further research on developing specific evaluation indicators and systems for lifelong education collaborative cooperation projects.

Role for a video tool in educating youth with epilepsy about anticonvulsant and contraceptive drug interactions

PurposeAnti-seizure medications (ASM) can lower the efficacy of hormonal birth control (BC), while estrogen-containing BC can increase ASM metabolism, altering seizure frequency. Despite these adverse interactions, many youth with epilepsy demonstrate inadequate knowledge about this topic. Thus, there is a need to develop tools that empower youth with epilepsy to make more informed contraceptive decisions. This study assesses the use of a video-based educational tool to raise awareness of BC and ASM interactions in this population. MethodsWe created a video that gives an overview of possible interactions between certain BC methods and ASMs, mainly increased risk of pregnancy and change in seizure frequency. The video was shown to female patients aged 12 and older with epilepsy in a child neurology clinic and followed by a discussion with their treating neurologist. Fifteen patients completed two surveys that collected demographics, ASM regimen, BC history, and assessed exposure to and understanding of the subject matter before and after viewing the educational tool using 11-point Likert scales. We received seven responses from provider opinion surveys that were administered after the visit to assess the practicality of the video tool in teaching patients about their medication interactions. Data was analyzed with descriptive statistics and one-tailed paired t-tests (α = 0.05). ResultsPatients ranged from ages 16 to 24, with 46.7 % being in the 16 to 18 year-old range, 26.7 % in the 19 to 21 year-old range, and 26.7 % in the 22 to 24 year-old range. The median age was 19. 33 % of the patients reported having used BC, with 27 % reporting current interest in using BC. 33 % of patients were taking ASM that could reduce BC efficacy, and 27 % were on ASM with efficacy that can be reduced by BC. While 80 % of patients endorsed having previously discussed BC and ASM interactions with a doctor, patients rated their knowledge of the subject pre-video as moderately low with high interest in learning more about the topic. Patients’ understanding of how BC and ASM interactions can increase risk of pregnancy showed a significant increase post-video. Patients also indicated a high likelihood that they would think of the video when choosing a BC method and that they are more likely to start a discussion with their doctor about BC and ASM interactions because of the video. Treating neurologists showed high agreement that the video is useful in teaching their patients about BC and ASM interactions. ConclusionYouth with epilepsy deserve engaging resources that empower them to make informed decisions about BC. Despite most of our patients having had prior education about BC and ASM interactions, our results support the need for educational tools beyond patient-provider discussion and the efficacy of video as a tool to enhance understanding of this topic. The tool also showed potential to influence future patient decision making regarding BC and to empower patients to take an active role in discussing BC with their doctor. Our findings support a role for educational videos as an effective way to teach youth with epilepsy about reproductive health concerns and to promote active participation in decision making.

Pedestrian Danger Index – a novel surrogate measure of pedestrian safety at unsignalized crossings

Objective The aims of the study are to assess pedestrian safety at unsignalized crossings and to develop a new surrogate measure to evaluate risks associated with vehicle-pedestrian interactions. The primary goal of developing a novel safety metric was to provide quick insights into pedestrian safety levels and conduct site assessments rather than predictive analyses. Methods Video surveys were conducted at multiple unsignalized crossing sites in Poland to record vehicle-pedestrian interactions. Vehicle and pedestrian trajectories were extracted using video image analysis. An interaction classification algorithm was introduced, based on relative movements of the two road users involved. Using selected video recorded interactions, an expert opinion survey was conducted in order to evaluate pedestrians’ perceptions of risk. The level of risk was modeled with a "danger degree function", incorporating passing distance, vehicle speed, and deceleration. Results Analyses revealed that smaller passing distance and higher vehicle speeds are linked to increased danger levels. Pedestrian Danger Index (PDI) was introduced as a new measure to assess pedestrian safety by averaging danger levels for all the observed pedestrian-vehicle interactions. Based on the sensitivity analysis, it is recommended to use a minimum of 4 survey days when calculating the PDI indicator. Conclusions The PDI offers a novel method for evaluating pedestrian safety at unsignalized crossings, though it has some limitations. This user-friendly surrogate safety measure relies on three key variables for computation: passing distance, vehicle speed, and vehicle deceleration rates. The formulated PDI equation can be used for analyzing pedestrian crossings without traffic signals. Further research is recommended to refine the PDI and enhance its effectiveness.

Heritage Conflict and the Council: The UNSC, UNESCO, and the View from Iraq and Syria

Abstract Cultural heritage preservation and protection are increasingly tethered to an international security agenda constituted across multilateral agencies. UNESCO and other organizations have securitized heritage, engaging in military training and peacekeeping, international law and prosecution, and cultural property protection. Following the events in Iraq and Syria, UN Security Council resolutions have instantiated norms of heritage violence, risk, and threat, while the Global War on Terror also interpolated looting, trafficking, and terror financing into a heritage-protection agenda. We compare these developments with our large-scale public opinion survey of Mosul and Aleppo residents’ experiences of heritage violence and the implications for security and reconstruction. While our results display potential overlaps with UNSC concerns, we suggest that site destruction and broader security concerns are understood differently on the ground, shaped by political and economic factors. We argue for a more humanitarian focus if any relationship between heritage, security, and, indeed, peacebuilding is to be forged.

More than “Soul Catchers”: Understanding Eastern Europe through Audience and Opinion Surveys at Radio Free Europe during the Cold War

Abstract In 1989, Radio Free Europe (RFE), an international anti-Communist shortwave radio broadcaster located in Munich and financed by the U.S. government, concluded after a vast survey operation that 53 percent of the adult population in East Europe listened to RFE programs. Based on such findings, historians from the region have argued that the collapse of Communist regimes was attributable in part to the importance of the diffusionist character of Western-inspired notions of freedom and democracy. Recent studies have raised questions about the methodology and findings of the RFE surveys. Although methodological discussions are important, a close reading of RFE surveys from the 1950s to 1989 reveals another side to the story, showing how Western Cold War institutions helped to frame key problems in Eastern Europe and mold the way individuals in those societies thought about the choices facing them.

Psychological and sociodemographic factors associated with hypoactive sexual desire in Ecuadorian women.

Human sexuality is a multifaceted process, and sexual desire plays a central role in the triphasic model of the sexual response cycle, as proposed by Helen Singer Kaplan. In this cross-sectional correlational study, we examined the relationship between various sociodemographic factors, such as age and motherhood, and sexual variables, including erotophobia, erotophilia, homophobia, and unconventional sex, with hypoactive sexual desire in women from Quito, Ecuador. The study sample comprised 421 women between the ages of 18 and 50, who were administered the Revised Sexual Opinion Survey and the Inhibited Sexual Desire Scale to assess their sexual attitudes and levels of desire. The findings revealed that age (F = 7.13, p < 0.001) and motherhood (F = 13.72, p < 0.001) had a significant impact on inhibited sexual desire. Furthermore, significant correlations were observed between inhibited sexual desire and age (r = 0.16, p < 0.001), motherhood (r = 0.18, p < 0.001), erotophobia (r = 0.19, p < 0.001), erotophilia (r = -0.21, p < 0.001), and homophobia (r = -0.18, p < 0.001). These results suggest that women who are older, mothers, or have higher levels of erotophobia are more likely to experience hypoactive sexual desire. In contrast, higher levels of erotophilia and homophobia were inversely related to hypoactive sexual desire. This contributes to a deeper understanding of how different personal and sexual attitudes influence sexual desire in Ecuadorian women.

Fickle environmental attitudes and cleantech underinvestment

ABSTRACT We show in two steps why clean-energy investment is too low without sufficient government incentives: Energy companies’ cleantech investments rise and fall with oil prices, which drive their revenues. Thus, these companies resist political and stakeholder pressure to invest in clean energy when oil prices are low. In the meantime, US public opinion surveys show that environmental sentiments fall when oil prices are high, thus limiting political and stakeholder pressure for cleantech investment when energy companies’ revenues are plentiful.

Bayesian approach and demo ethical foundations for sustainability: Reassessing the role of democracy in achieving equitable social transformation and sustainable development goals

This article is devoted to studying the principles of the relationship between democracy and demo ethics as tools for transforming the sustainable development of society. The study is based on the assumption that the effective functioning of democracy is associated with such social phenomena as elections and electoral behavior. The study examined electoral behavior and surveyed members of society about the qualities of candidates to which they pay special attention. An analysis of qualitative and quantitative data demonstrating the democratic foundations of elections of members of society was conducted, and an analysis of the choice of voters in the extraordinary elections of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan by region was conducted. In this study, Bayesian network modeling is experimentally applied to formalize the problem of identifying and analyzing the behavior of virtuous personality traits. A sociological survey of public opinion was conducted using the questionnaire method with the participation of 826 people from all regions of Kazakhstan from May to June 2023. A questionnaire was used to collect data, the main purpose of which was to compare attitudes and find out what values are considered important for people, what norms of behavior are considered acceptable, and to understand what values and norms prevail in society. It is concluded that the concept of demo ethics promotes a positive transformation of humanity and helps to form a new leader of virtue, a ruler of the city, capable of making ethical rational decisions that can ensure a balance between the economic, social, and environmental needs of humanity.

Fatores de Risco ao Patrimônio Cultural do Estado de Mato Grosso

The objective of this article is to identify the risk factors that most affect the intangible, archaeological and architectural-landscape heritage of Mato Grosso, from the perspective of managers of public institutions linked to its preservation and conservation. The research started from a survey (questionnaire) of participants' opinions regarding risk factors that affect cultural heritage, with subsequent quantification and qualitative analysis (data tabulation) and quantitative analysis (assessment of reliability and internal consistency using a statistical instrument). The most common risks for architectural-landscape heritage are Abandonment (72%, Social dimension), Mismanagement (67%) and Successive reforms and renovations (67%), both in the Governance dimension; in the Environmental dimension they are Fires (44%) and Construction of various projects (44%). For archaeological heritage, the most common risk factors in the Environmental dimension are Construction of hydroelectric plants, dams and similar (50%), Intensive crops in sensitive areas (50%), Livestock in sensitive areas (50%) and Deforestation (50%). The most common risk factors for intangible heritage are: in the Governance dimension - Mismanagement (44%) and, in the Environmental dimension: Livestock in sensitive areas (50%), Deforestation (56%) and Fires (50%). Cronbach's Alpha values ​​were 0.965 for intangible heritage, 0.962 for archaeological heritage and 0.97 for architectural-landscape heritage, concluding that the results obtained are reliable.

Patient Safety Incidents in Inpatient Psychiatric Settings: An Expert Opinion Survey.

Patient safety in psychiatric inpatient facilities remains under-researched despite its crucial importance. This study aims to address this gap by using expert opinion to estimate the frequency of diverse patient safety incidents (PSIs) in psychiatric settings and to compare it with the existing literature. Utilizing a seven-step approach, a questionnaire based on the World Health Organization's International Classification for Patient Safety was developed and deployed. A total of 33 expert opinions were collected. Results showed a higher estimated incidence of PSIs in psychiatric settings compared to general healthcare, highlighting categories such as patient behavior, medication, and infrastructure as significant contributors. Experts emphasized the prevalence of incidents related to behavioral issues and inadequate infrastructure, areas often overlooked in the existing literature. Unlike general settings, psychiatric facilities appear more vulnerable to specific PSIs, such as those related to medication and building safety, underscoring the need for targeted safety measures. Our study suggests the existence of significant discrepancies between expert opinion and available research, with several underexplored domains in psychiatric patient safety.

Profiles of public attitude change regarding stuttering

PurposeA growing number of studies have sought to reduce negative public attitudes toward stuttering in pre-test/post-test designs using the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes–Stuttering (POSHA–S). Most investigations have succeeded in improving attitudes, but about one-third of them have not. A previous companion study showed that intervention—but not demographic—characteristics of samples partly predicted success. MethodAuthors investigated individual profiles and predictors of change in nonstuttering individuals’ attitudes from pre-test to post-test after exposure to interventions or no intervention. Using pre- versus post-POSHA–S mean ratings from different samples (representing 7 countries and 6 languages) 29 samples comprising 934 respondents were categorized into four categories of intervention success from “unsuccessful” to “very successful.” These were compared to 12 pre and post non-intervention samples containing 345 respondents from a second companion study. Within categories, the individual respondents were sorted according to positive, minimal, or negative changes from pre- to post-tests on the POSHA–S Overall Stuttering Score (OSS). The non-intervention category served as a baseline for determining the effects of interventions on respondents who improved, worsened, or remained the same. ResultsAs in the previous non-intervention category, within all intervention categories, an unexpected and heretofore undocumented “crossover” effect emerged. Respondents with the least positive pre attitudes improved greatly, and respondents with the most positive attitudes worsened greatly. Those with intermediate attitudes changed minimally. The percentage of respondents changing positively differentiated levels of success in the intervention categories, while the magnitude of mean change did not. Potential predictors in positive and negative changers were not apparent from POSHA–S demographic and attitude variables. ImplicationsFuture interventions to improve stuttering attitudes should address their relatively unstable nature and be targeted differentially to positive, minimal, and negative changers.

The Gender Gap in Elite-Voter Responsiveness Online

A number of important studies have documented gender gaps in the effectiveness or performance of individual representatives. Yet whether these differences are observable when it comes to responsiveness to public opinion is unclear. In this article, I examine the degree to which representatives use social media to dynamically respond to shifts in issue salience among the electorate. After combining nearly 400 bi-weekly repeated public opinion surveys from YouGov asking voters about their issue priorities, I trained a large language model to classify the universe of elected U.S. and UK representatives’ social media messages on Twitter to the same issues. Findings reveal that women representatives demonstrate greater responsiveness than their male counterparts to shifts in issue salience according to both women and men constituents. Despite an overall bias toward male constituents, female representatives play a crucial role in narrowing the gender gap by consistently aligning their attention with the issues prioritized by female constituents. These findings not only contribute to our understanding of elite-voter responsiveness but also underscore the substantive benefits that women representatives provide for all constituents.

Schoolteachers’ beliefs and self reactions towards stuttering in Israel

ABSTRACT This study aims to: (a) examine beliefs and self reactions of schoolteachers towards stuttering and people who stutter using the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes-Stuttering (POSHA-S) questionnaire and (b) examine how background variables (age, gender, education, and marital status) affected teachers’ attitudes, beliefs and knowledge. A total of 202 teachers from Israel filled out the POSHA-S questionnaire using the Hebrew online version. Overall, Israeli teachers’ beliefs, and self reactions were consistent with the data in the world database of POSHA-S. Participants’ Overall Stuttering Score (OSS), as well as the items examining teachers’ attitudes towards traits and personality of people who stutter, helping people who stutter, and attitudes towards people who stutter were higher (i.e., more positive) relative to the same components existing in POSHA-S database for the rest of the world. Lack of knowledge regarding the causes of stuttering was revealed. OSS and Self Reactions were found to be related to education. Significant positive correlations were found across POSHA-S components which linked knowledge scores and the beliefs of teachers about traits of people who stutter. The impact of education indicates that attitudes are influenced by exposure to knowledge sources and/or interaction with a variety of people which characterizes Israeli society. The results are expected to serve as a basis for future intervention programmes aiming to improve teachers’ attitudes towards people who stutter.

A Process Analysis Framework to Adopt Intelligent Robotic Process Automation (IRPA) in Supply Chains

Intelligent Robotic Process Automation (IRPA) combines Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to automate complex unstructured tasks, improve decision-making, and cope with changing scenarios. A process analysis framework for IRPA adoption was developed by identifying key factors through a literature review and semi-structured expert opinion survey. The employed experts in the survey comprised RPA/IRPA consultants, RPA/IRPA initiative team leaders, and RPA/IRPA developers with three years or more experience. For the initial factor collection phase, there were a total of eighteen (18) responses, and for the factor evaluation phase, a total of twenty-six (26) experts were used to collect responses. Identified factors were shortlisted and evaluated using a Relative Importance Index (RII) analysis. The study’s findings are presented through a Causal-Loop Diagram (CLD) to illustrate the relationships between factors. The framework provides practical guidance for organizations planning to adopt IRPA, informing decision-making, resource allocation, and strategy development. The final process analysis framework highlights the importance of accuracy, level of human involvement in a task, and standardization as the main three primary factors for successful IRPA adoption. Three major secondary factors were identified: digital data input, integration with existing systems, and the cost of adopting new technologies. This research contributes to the added value to existing knowledge and serves as a foundation for future research in IRPA adoption.

University student's opinion survey: A synthesis and a deeper insight

This study evaluates the University Student's Opinion Survey (OPIS), which measures student satisfaction with university courses using a four-level Likert scale. We propose applying Alkire-Foster's dual cut-off method (Alkire and Foster, 2007; Alkire and Foster, 2011) [2,4] to compute a multidimensional performance indicator and a local concordance curve to detect the association between different dimensions of the performance indicator. In our analysis, we set benchmarks for each survey item to classify classes as effective or critical based on their performance across multiple dimensions. Additionally, we introduce local concordance coefficients to provide deeper insights into student evaluations across different performance areas. In particular, we assess whether there is a concentration of organizational and teaching deficiencies (strengths) among the critical (effective) classes or whether the lacking (appreciated) skills are equally distributed among the different dimensions investigated by the survey. This comprehensive approach, combining the Alkire-Foster method and local concordance analysis, underscores the importance of multidimensional perspectives in assessing teaching quality, providing valuable insights for enhancing educational experiences in higher education.