The city of Brookhaven has issued a survey to better understand residents’ perceptions and expectations for racial equity, diversity, and social justice.
The city regularly uses surveys to gather feedback from residents.
ETC Institute was hired by Brookhaven in 2023 to develop and conduct the survey for $24,000.
The contract with ETC Institute states that the random sample of residents will be based on where residents live, and could be conducted by phone, mail, or email.
The city did not have an answer as to how many surveys have been sent. The company ensures the sample size is representative of Brookhaven’s demographics regarding age, gender, geography, ethnicity “and other factors.”
The survey begins with the question, “How much do you trust …”
- Other people in general
- People in your neighborhood
- People who work in the stores where you shop
- Brookhaven Police
Other topics covered by the survey are community involvement, race and ethnicity, health, income, and how residents feel about Brookhaven’s opportunities and amenities. A series of questions go in-depth on Brookhaven city government and police.
City staff asked that Rough Draft not publish the survey in its entirety to ensure unbiased results.
“ETC Institute will conduct phone calls, and send text messages and emails until a minimum of 400 surveys are completed,” the contract states. “The result for a random sample of 400 completed surveys will provide results that have a precision of at least +/-5 at the 95% confidence level.”
Brookhaven Assistant City Manager Patrice Ruffin Dowdell said the DEI survey was sent in response to a recommendation from the Social Justice, Race, and Equity Commission.
According to the 2021 Social Justice Race Equity Commission report, more than 80% of survey respondents felt that the city of Brookhaven should make racial equity a significant or top priority. This input was critical to informing and shaping the commission’s recommendations.
Results are expected in the third quarter of 2024.