Community-Based Research Commons^™

Maintaining Trust In Uncertain Times: Funding Pauses And The Ethical Cost To Community-Engaged Research, Brynn E. Sheehan

Department Psychiatry & Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

Federal funding pauses, once considered rare, are increasingly disrupting the stability and continuity of community‐engaged research. Even projects with active, awarded grants are experiencing the strain of funding uncertainty, raising substantive concerns among research teams and community partners. These disruptions extend beyond operational delays; they jeopardize the continuity of relationships developed through sustained, collaborative engagement. In the absence of clear information about a project's future, uncertainty undermines trust and challenges the ethical principles that guide human subjects research, particularly beneficence and justice. This paper draws on direct experience and insights from the broader field to examine the practical and ethical …

65 - Evaluating Drone-Based Stem Camps For Enhanced Engagement And Sel Development, David Morgan

Undergraduate Research Symposium

STEM camps are programs designed to promote exposure to learning associated with science, technology, engineering, and math educational outcomes. However, there is a significant gap in participation for Black and Brown individuals in STEM careers. This study seeks to understand how STEM programs during out-of-school time may support students from underrepresented communities and foster future interest in STEM-related careers. This study employs a retrospective qualitative research design investigating program participation in a week-long STEM camp in Hampton, Virginia. Thirty middle and high school students participated in the curriculum, technical drone skills, emphasizing emotional intelligence, self-regulation, and social awareness. These findings …

Life In Hampton Roads Report: The 15th Annual Life In Hampton Roads Survey, Tancy Vandecar-Burdin, Randy R. Gainey, Jesse T. Richman, Mackenzie Kibler, Brianna Ovalle, Caylin Smith, Katie Sturniolo, Wendi Wilson-John

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

[From the Executive Summary]

The Social Science Research Center (SSRC) at Old Dominion University (ODU) has compiled the results from the 15th annual Life in Hampton Roads (LIHR) survey. The purpose of the survey was to gain insight into residents’ perceptions of the quality of life in Hampton Roads. A total of 640 telephone surveys were completed between June 4 and August 16, 2024. These interviews were conducted via telephone, as they were in the past, except for 2020 and 2021. Three-fifths of respondents rated the quality of life in the region as excellent or good (60.1%). As seen from …

757transfamily: Empowering Parents To Raise Their Transgender Child Through Knowledge, Connection, And Joy, Jessica Gurley

Institute for the Humanities Master's Papers, Projects, and Capstones

Parents of transgender and non-binary children often want to support their children, but are not sure how. Giving these parents the support and resources they need will increase their ability to support their children, further increasing the chance that their children will live a long, healthy, authentic life.

I built a website, and organized a workshop that parents can attend in order to access information and resources about the transgender community. These parents will receive the support they need to be better equipped to support their gender-diverse children. I will be collecting information about the parents' feelings and experience towards …

Workshop Summary Report: Making Waves In Equitable Coastal Resilience: A National Workshop On Social Equity And Coastal Resilience, November 1, 2, And 10, 2022 (Virtual), Juita-Elena (Wie) Yusuf, Cassandra R. Davis, Thomas R. Allen, Joshua Behr, Nicole S. Hutton, Marina Saitgalina, Jennifer L. Whytlaw, Khairul Anuar

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

Workshop Overview

‘Making Waves in Equitable Coastal Resilience: A National Workshop on Social Equity and Coastal Resilience’ was a three-day virtual workshop held in November 2022. The workshop was organized by a project team of faculty and researchers at Old Dominion University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for the Coastal Resilience Center, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence. The workshop was intended to bring together researchers and practitioners from government, nonprofit agencies, community organizations, and advocacy groups to discuss issues relevant to coastal resilience and social equity and identify research and practice next …

Life In Hampton Roads Report: The 14th Annual Life In Hampton Roads Survey, Randy R. Gainey, Jesse Richman, Tancy Vandecar-Burdin, Wendi Wilson-Smith, Mackenzie Kibler, Nana Boateng, Caylin Smith

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

[From the Executive Summary]

The Social Science Research Center (SSRC) at Old Dominion University (ODU) is pleased to present the results from the 14th annual Life in Hampton Roads (LIHR) survey. The purpose of the survey was to gain insight into residents’ perceptions of the quality of life in Hampton Roads. Surveys this year were completed over the telephone as they were last year and prior to 2020. Less than two-thirds of respondents rated the quality of life in the region as excellent or good (62.3%). This is lower than last year (69.3%) and is lower than most previous non-COVID …

Questions To Advance Research On Equitable Coastal Resilience, Wie Yusuf

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Recommendations For Encouraging Collaborations To Address Equitable Coastal Resilience Through Engaged/Applied Research And On-The-Ground Projects/Programs, Wie Yusuf

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Inclusion In Decision Making Of Under-Served And Invisible Communities, Wie Yusuf

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

Summary: Under-served and invisible communities have the characteristic of being historically left out of decision-making processes that affect them. They include rural communities, tribal communities, low-wealth communities, and marginalized communities. While engaging these communities, planners, academics, and government officials need to acknowledge and respect their priorities, needs, and capacity to participate. Researchers must acknowledge that some communities have good reasons to be skeptical of researchers, government officials, and outsiders. These communities may have been over-studied, but not on their own terms or in ways that benefited them. Sustained long-term engagement focused on natural and meaningful benefits to the community contributes …

Metrics And Mapping Of Equity And Coastal Resilience, Wie Yusuf

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

Summary: Grant applications are increasingly scored using equity, justice, or vulnerability indices that rely on national or aggregate data. However, data at the national level may not translate to the needs of a community. There is a need for metrics that can be applied locally and validly capture the local conditions. Scale is a fundamental consideration as national metrics do not translate to the state level as actionable or transferable, nor do state-level metrics apply consistently to local levels. Of primary concern are logical consistency (e.g., the blurring of metrics when an underserved population may be diluted in representation by …

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #5: Experiences And Attitudes Towards The Police And Reactions To Crime, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads 2022 - Experiences and Attitudes Towards the Police and Reactions to Crime

For the past few years, the Life in Hampton Roads survey has included two items measuring negative experiences with the police:

1. In the past year, have you or someone close to you had a negative experience with police (e.g., the officer shouted at you, cursed at you, pushed or grabbed you)?

2. In the past year, have you heard of someone in your local community who had a negative experience with police (e.g., the officer shouted at them, cursed at them, pushed or …

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #4: Health, Education & Welfare Of Hampton Roads, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads 2022 - Health, Education & Welfare of Hampton Roads

More than 81% of respondents rated the quality of their health as excellent (26.2%) or good (55.5%). This is about 9% higher than last year (72%), with most of the increase being in the excellent category (increasing from 17.9%). Thus, we are seeing an increase in self-reported good/excellent health close to levels reported pre-pandemic (e.g., from 82% in 2017).

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #2: Politics And Political Opinions, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads 2022 - Politics and Political Opinions

The Life in Hampton Roads survey always includes a few questions about political attitudes. In 2022 the questions included party affiliation, political ideology, job approval of President Biden, Gov. Youngkin and local mayors.

Life In Hampton Roads Report: The 13th Annual Life In Hampton Roads Survey, Steve Parker, Randy R. Gainey, Jesse T. Richman, Tancy Vandecar-Burdin, Wensi Wilson-John, Cassandra Jagroop, Nana Boateng

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

[From the Executive Summary]

The Social Science Research Center (SSRC) at Old Dominion University is pleased to present the results from the 13th annual Life in Hampton Roads (LIHR) survey. The purpose of the survey was to gain insight into residents’ perceptions of the quality of life in Hampton Roads. This year, all survey data was collected via telephone interviews as was the case prior to the pandemic. More than two-thirds of respondents rated the quality of life in the region as excellent or good (69.3%). About 25% rated Hampton Roads’ quality of life as fair (24.7%) and 4.5% rated …

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #1: Quality Of Life, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads 2022 - Quality of Life

More than two-thirds of respondents rated the quality of life in the region as excellent or good (69.3%). This is slightly higher than last year (65.4%) during the pandemic and more closely reflects previous, non-COVID years (ranging from 68% to 71% between 2017-2019). About one-fourth rated Hampton Roads’ quality of life as fair (24.7%), and 4.5% rated it as poor.

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #3: Economy & Employment, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads 2022 - Economy & Employment

Hampton Roads residents had mixed perceptions of the economy but showed some optimism about their own financial situation. Less than half (42.4%) of those surveyed rated the economic conditions in Hampton Roads as excellent (3.1%) or good (39.3%). A similar percentage (42%) rated economic conditions as fair and 14.6% rated them as poor. Interestingly, despite the impacts of COVID-19, these ratings are not much different than in past years of the survey, during or prior to the pandemic. For example, in 2021, 47.5% rated economic conditions as excellent or good and …

Distracted Pedestrians: Looking Left?, Emma Hood, Bryan E. Porter

Psychology: Interdisciplinary Research in Behavioral Sciences of Transportation Issues

Distracted pedestrians, those talking or texting on phones as examples, are potentially at risk when crossing urban intersections. They may lack traffic awareness of risk as distracted drivers often do. The transportation field has limited data on distracted pedestrians. This study aimed to contribute to the literature by observing pedestrian behaviors at four urban-area, downtown crosswalks over five weeks in June-July 2021. Overall, 2,055 pedestrians were observed, with 25.4% being distracted. Common distractions were texting, talking on a cell phone, and using headphones. Chi-square analyses found that while distraction did not predict looking left, one behavior that keeps them out …

Life In Hampton Roads Report: The 12th Annual Life In Hampton Roads Survey, Tancy Vandecar-Burdin, Randy R. Gainey, Jesse T. Richman, Steve Parker, Wendi Wilson-John, James Valliere, Joshua Behr, Jennifer Whytlaw, Drew Avery, Adam Pyecha

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

[From the Executive Summary]

The Social Science Research Center (SSRC) at Old Dominion University is pleased to present the results from the 12th annual Life in Hampton Roads (LIHR) survey. The purpose of the survey was to gain insight into residents’ perceptions of the quality of life in Hampton Roads. It is important to note that the methodology for this year’s survey differs from previous Life in Hampton Roads surveys. The first ten years of the survey were conducted using a random sample of Hampton Roads residents via telephone. Last year state and university COVID-19 restrictions did not allow for …

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #4: Politics & Ethics In Government, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads 2021 - Politics & Ethics in Government

The Life in Hampton Roads survey typically includes a few questions about political attitudes. In 2021, the questions asked included party affiliation, job approval of President Biden and preferences for the 2021 gubernatorial election. The survey also included a set of questions about ethics in local government that have been asked in previous surveys.

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #2: Education & Public Schools, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads 2021 - Education & Public Schools

About one in four (26.1%) of respondents reported having a school-aged child/children, and 17.7% of those parents indicated they had a school-aged child with a disability. Those with school-aged children were asked where/how their children attended school in the spring of 2021 given COVID-19 conditions. Similar percentages of parents reported that their child attended public school with only virtual classes (44.4%) or attended public school with at least some in-person classes (44%). Another 10.6% indicated that their child was home-schooled and 8.7% indicated that their child/children attended private school with …

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #6: Perceptions Of Police, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads 2021 - Perceptions of the Police

This year about 17% of respondents reported that they (or someone close to them) had had a negative experience with the police, down from the 20% reported last year. The percentage of residents having heard of someone in their local community who had had a negative encounter with the police was much larger. Indeed, nearly a third of respondents reported such knowledge in 2021 (31.1%) and 2020 (32.8%). This number is probably much higher because there are so many ways of hearing about unpleasant incidences – from family, friends or …

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #5: Perceptions Of The Economy & Employment, Social Sciences Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads 2021 - Perceptions of the Economy & Employment

Hampton Roads residents had mixed perceptions of the economy but showed some optimism about their own financial situation. Less than half (47.5%) of those surveyed rated the economic conditions in Hampton Roads as excellent (6.5%) or good (41%). More than four in 10 (41.4%) rated economic conditions as fair and 8% rated them as poor. Interestingly, despite the impacts of COVID-19, these ratings are not much different than in past years of the survey. In 2019, 49.9% of respondents rated economic conditions as good or excellent. This year’s …

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #1: Quality Of Life, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads 2021 - Quality of Life

Almost two-thirds of respondents rated the quality of life in the region as excellent or good (65.4%). This is slightly lower than in previous, non-COVID years (ranging from 68% to 71% between 2017-2019). A total of 28.5% of respondents rated Hampton Roads’ quality of life as fair and 3.9% rated it as poor.

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #7: Perceptions Of Flooding, Hurricane Evacuation, & Sheltering During Covid-19, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads 2021 - Flooding, Hurricane Evacuation, & Sheltering During COVID-19

The changing climate and rising sea levels touch nearly every aspect of life in Hampton Roads, with some neighborhoods and communities experiencing it more acutely. But, overall, how persistent is recurrent flooding as perceived by Hampton Roads residents? This year’s survey finds that nearly 23% of respondents state that recurrent flooding is a problem in their neighborhood, a number broadly consistent with the responses seen since this question was first asked in 2013 when 23% of respondents also indicated that recurrent flooding was a problem in their …

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #3: Health & Experiences With Covid & Vaccines, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads 2021 – Health & Experiences with COVID & Vaccines

More than 72% of respondents rated the quality of their own health as excellent (17.9%) or good (54.4%). This is lower than previous years, which is not surprising given ongoing pandemic conditions. Further, the percentage of respondents rating their health as excellent or good has been declining over recent years (e.g., from 82% in 2017).

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #6: Perceptions Of Police And Protests, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads Survey: Police and Protests

Hampton Roads residents were asked a variety of questions about the police. About two-thirds of respondents reported being very satisfied (31.6%) or somewhat satisfied (35.3%) with the local police. About one-quarter of respondents reported being either somewhat dissatisfied (13.7%) or very dissatisfied (11.8%),and 7.7% indicated that they did not know.

Close to three-quarters of respondents indicated that they trust the local police at least somewhat (37.6%) or a great deal (35.6%). About 17% said they trust the police “not much,” and 9.8% trust them “not at all.”

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #4: Presidential Polling, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads Survey - Presidential Polling Results

Respondents were asked: “Do you approve or disapprove of the job Donald Trump is doing as president?” Roughly one-third (34.1%) approved, with 13.9% strongly approving. Nearly two-thirds (65.9%) disapproved, with 43.8% disapproving strongly.

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #5: Quality Of Life, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads: Quality of Life

Despite the pandemic and stay-at-home restrictions, more than two-thirds of respondents rated the quality of life in the region as excellent or good (67.4%). About one in four rated Hampton Roads’ quality of life as fair (25.8%) and 4.1% rated it as poor.

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #3: Hurricanes And Covid-19, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Hurricane Evacuation & Sheltering During COVID-19

The 2020 Life in Hampton Roads (LIHR) survey includes several questions concerning how residents plan to prepare for and respond to hurricanes during the COVID19 pandemic.

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #7: Perceptions Of Employment And Economy, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads: Employment, the Economy and COVID-19

This year’s survey included general questions about employment and economy as well at the impact of COVID-19 on work conditions. These data provide insight into how residents in Hampton Roads perceive the economy and how work conditions may have changed as a result. This year’s survey also included some general questions about diversity in the workplace.