Proposed Online FAA Safety Briefing Readership Survey
B. Statistical Methods
1. Describe the potential respondent universe.
FAA Safety Briefing is a bimonthly print and online publication produced by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to improve general aviation safety by making the general aviation community (which includes pilots and mechanics) aware of FAA resources, helping readers understand safety and regulatory issues, and encouraging continued training.
The widest potential universe includes the following (and there is overlap between these categories):
222,596 individuals who hold private pilot certificates
124,746 people who hold commercial pilot certificates
80,989 people with student pilot certificates
93,202 pilots who are also flight instructors
326,276 mechanics
2. Describe the procedures for the collection of information.
The goal of the survey is to measure the magazine’s readership as well as to identify readers’ as well as prospective readers’ aviation safety needs and interests so the editors can better target content. To develop the questions for a brief readership survey the magazine staff worked with FAA subject matter experts. The questions are designed identify/quantify who among the magazine’s target population of pilots and mechanics is reading the publication, what their skill levels are, what type of equipment they fly/ work on, whether members of the target audience are aware of the publication, and to identify the aviation safety interests and their preferred methods of improving safety knowledge/skills.
We plan to collect the information in an 18-question survey by using existing off-the-shelf Internet data collection tools, which are widely used by the private sector and government. No statistical analysis beyond what is available from the survey software is planned.
3. Describe methods to maximize response rates.
The FAA Safety Briefing staff works closely with the FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam), the FAA group that does extensive safety education and outreach with the general aviation community. The FAASTeam has a Web site called www.faasafety.gov. The FAA Safety Briefing readership survey will be promoted on www.faasafety.gov. In addition, the FAASTeam has a Safety Program Alerts and Notification System, or SPANS, which it uses to send e-mail notices to subscribers. Currently, subscribers total 256,045 "Pilots and Instructors" and 88,997 "Mechanics and Other.” This distribution channel will be the primary method to publicize the readership survey and to provide a link to the online survey.
Additionally, FAA Safety Briefing staff members produce a biweekly safety update newsletter called FAAST Blast, which is sent to SPANS subscribers. Two editions of the FAAST Blast will promote the survey. The survey will be promoted on the FAA Safety Briefing Web site (www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing) with a link. Also, an announcement and link will be in the signature line of FAA Safety Briefing staff members during the period the survey is posted online, which will be for four to six weeks.
4. Describe tests of procedures and methods to be undertaken.
The commercial off-the-shelf survey program has a test methodology that the FAA Safety Brief staff will use to test the survey.
5. Provide the names of consultants and the person who will collect and analyze the information.
The FAA Safety Briefing staff, led by Assistant Editor James Williams, will use the sort, filtering, and cross-tab functions available from the existing off-the-shelf online survey software. If James Williams requires additional analytical support, he can call upon counsel from FAA colleagues who develop, perform, and analyze the annual General Aviation Activity Survey, e.g. Safety Analyst Brad Wacker.
Submitted by:
Lynn McCloud
Managing Editor
FAA Safety Briefing
FAA, General Aviation and Commercial Division (AFS-805)
202-493-4992
| File Type | application/msword |
| Author | Taylor CTR Dahl |
| Last Modified By | Lynn McCloud |
| File Modified | 2010-06-28 |
| File Created | 2010-05-13 |