Answering Residents' Questions about CASOA

This list of FAQs can help you and your staff answer questions you might receive from residents about your CASOA survey effort. If you have any other questions not covered here, please don’t hesitate to reach out directly--we’re happy to help! 

About the Survey

• What is the Community Assessment Survey for Older Adults (CASOA)?
  The Community Assessment Survey for Older Adults is a statistically valid survey designed to measure community livability for older adults. It measures overall quality of a community, as well as six specific community dimensions: Community Design, Employment and Finances, Equity and Inclusivity, Health and Wellness, Information and Assistance, and Productive Activities. 

• What will be done with the results?
  [This response will be different for every jurisdiction or organization conducting the survey! Think about why you are doing this survey, and consider your goals/plans/expectations for how you will use the results of the survey. Convey this to your residents.]

• Who is Polco? Why isn’t someone else conducting this survey?
  Polco is an online community engagement platform that is conducting CASOA on the [state/community]’s behalf. Polco’s survey scientists develop surveys, analyze the data, and provide local governments and other public sector leaders with important information needed to make informed decisions. Hundreds of organizations nationwide use Polco for strategic planning, budgeting, and amplifying resident voices. Using Polco’s secure platform saves local governments and organizations money and staff time, allows a broader range of people to give public input, and protects respondents’ privacy. Your answers are confidential, and your personal information is never shared with anyone, not even our staff.

Survey Invitations and Random Selection

• I received a postcard in the mail today saying I’ve been selected to take a survey – is this legitimate or a scam?
  The survey is legitimate and is being conducted by the [official State/City/Organization name] in partnership with local Area Agencies on Aging. We are using this survey to learn more about the needs of older adults throughout [state/city/county]. The results will help us better plan to meet the needs of today’s older adults, as well as tomorrow’s. You will not be required to provide any personal/identifying information to submit your survey, and all your responses are confidential. 

• How did you get my address?
  Your address was randomly chosen from a list of residences targeting adults age 55* and older in the [state/city/county]. This list was compiled from a number of different reputable sources, and is our best way to approximate households that are likely to have an adult over age 55*. No household member is named in the list, and no personally identifying information will be attached to your responses. (See additional questions regarding privacy below.) Randomly selecting survey recipients from this comprehensive list allows us to gather survey data that is unbiased, scientifically valid, and representative of the whole [state/city/county].

• Who can participate in the survey? Can I share my survey link with another person?
  If you received a postcard invitation and/or paper survey in the mail, please do NOT share that link. That survey is intended for randomly selected households only. For recipients of that mailed invitation, the individual in that household over age 55* who most recently had a birthday should complete the survey. 
  
  However, if you saw the open participation survey link shared on social media or [other open participation outreach methods], feel free to share--all residents age 55*+ are welcome to participate in that effort! We appreciate your help in spreading the word!

• What is the purpose of requesting that the person who most recently had a birthday complete the survey?
  We have randomly selected households within [state/city/county] to receive the survey. To ensure that the survey results are as representative of our community as possible, we also need to choose in an unbiased way a person within each household to complete the survey. While it may seem a bit strange, using the ‘birthday method’ is a simple way to select an adult from within each household without permitting bias in our results.

• I received your survey, and while I own the property that it was sent to, I don’t live there. What should I do?
  The resident of the property should complete the survey, assuming they meet the minimum age requirement (55*+).

• I was not sent a survey, but I would like to complete one.
  The random sample was designed to be as representative as possible of the population of our [state/community], so this initial survey effort is limited only to those who received a mailed invitation. That said, we do want to hear from you! We will open the survey up to the entire community in a couple of weeks, so watch for upcoming announcements about that!

Completing the Survey

• If I filled out the survey online when I first received the postcard, should I fill it out again now that I have received a paper copy?
  No, please don’t fill it out again. Since we only want one response from each person, those who already sent in a survey should not return another one. Thank you for completing the first survey!

• How long will the survey take to complete?
  It takes about 15-20 minutes to complete. 

• Why are there certain survey questions? Some don’t apply to me.
  We aim to have most survey questions be applicable to all residents, but if any questions don’t apply to you, you can always choose “don’t know” or answer to the best of your ability.

Demographics and Privacy

• Why are you asking for personal information like income level, gender, age, etc.?
  First of all, I want to assure you that this information is confidential! In the report we receive from Polco, your responses will be combined with others into larger, aggregated groups, and you won’t be individually identified by your answers.
  
  We use this demographic information to make sure that we’re hearing from a variety of people (across different age groups, income levels, and more), and to make sure that the overall survey results are representative of the entire community (using Census data and weighting as needed). It also allows us to see whether any specific groups of residents could be better served in certain ways. However, if you’re not comfortable answering some of those questions, feel free to leave them blank! We appreciate your time and want to hear whatever you’re able to share with us.

• Why include gender identity and sexuality questions at the end of the survey?
  Collecting sexual orientation and gender identity information follows recommendations by the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention, National Academy of Medicine, and Joint Commission. Collecting this information is essential to providing high-quality, patient-centered care. Additionally, many state agencies on aging must report on services provided based on gender identity and sexual orientation. Note that you do not have to answer any questions you aren’t comfortable with--all survey questions, including these, are entirely optional. 

• Why is “Hispanic” separate from “Race”?
  We want to compare the demographic profile of our survey respondents to the demographic profile of the entire [state/city/county] as presented by the Census. In order to be able to do this, we asked our race and ethnicity questions the same way the Census does. The census designates Hispanic as an ethnicity, not a race.

• How can I be assured that my feedback will remain anonymous?
  This is a confidential survey conducted by a third party (Polco), so your identity is completely secure. Polco’s privacy policy is very strict and designed to protect your information. Your responses are confidential, and all personally identifiable information will be safe, never shared (not even with our staff!), and never associated with the input you provide. Their privacy policy can be found here: https://info.polco.us/your-privacy 

• What does Polco do with my personal information (name, email and ZIP code)? Why am I asked for it? Do I have to create an account?
  Providing this information is optional! You can certainly submit your survey without sharing these details if you prefer. But we want to assure you that your information is secure! Polco uses your email, ZIP code, and full name to verify your residency against publicly available voter information in your state. With verified respondents, we can reduce the risk of one person answering many times. Entering your email address will create an account with Polco, so you can find out when the [state/city/county/AAA] posts additional surveys or polls in the future. 
  
  When you participate on Polco, all personally identifiable information will be safe, never shared, and never associated with the input you provide. Polco’s privacy policy (located here, for reference) is very strict and designed to protect your information. Email addresses are kept separate from the survey responses and are not tied to any data that the [state/city/county/AAA] receives from Polco. Email addresses are not sold or shared with other parties, for any reason, ever; not even our own staff have access to this information.
   

*Note: Customize ages throughout to match your selected minimum age!