Bibliography & Survey Methods

Bibliography

Major publications referenced for this report include:

• Hauser, R.M., Brown, B.V., and Prosser, W.R., eds. (1998). Indicators of Children's Well-Being. Russell Sage Foundation: New York, NY.
• Maine Economic Growth Council, Measures of Growth 2004. Summary and analysis done by the Maine Development Foundation: Augusta, ME. http://mdf.org/megc.
• Maine KIDS COUNT Data Books. Maine Children's Alliance: Augusta, ME.http://www.mekids.org. Miringoff, M., Miringoff, M.L. and Opdycke, S. (1999).

Acknowledgments

The Children’s Cabinet is most grateful to all the following people who have helped develop Maine Marks. The individuals’ institutional affiliations are listed as of early 2001, when the first edition of Maine Marks was published.

Survey Methods

Survey of Maine Citizens and Businesses

The Maine Development Foundation first administered the annual citizen and business surveys in 1995 to gather data for the Maine Economic Growth Council’s annual indicators report, Measures of Growth. The Growth Council had established over 50 performance measures relating to the long-term health of the state economy, and for many of these performance measures, data didn’t exist. These surveys have provided the data necessary to proceed with such performance measures.

The Survey of Maine Businesses is conducted through a mail survey. The Survey of Maine Citizens is conducted through telephone interviews.  The methodology of each survey is available at their respective web pages. In 2002, MDF decided to conduct the Survey of Maine Businesses and Survey of Maine Citizens on a bi-annual basis. The latest survey data available is 2001. MDF partners with state agencies and other organizations that sponsor questions in the survey. Please contact the Maine Development Foundation if you are interested in learning more about sponsoring questions in either of MDF’s surveys. For more information:

Maine Development Foundation Survey of Maine Businesses – website:
http://mdf.org/megc/survey/business_survey.html

Survey of Maine Parents and Youth

The Maine Marks report makes use of indicators developed from statewide telephone surveys. Both the Parent and Youth telephone surveys have been conducted four separate periods – years 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004 - by Critical Insights, a strategic marketing firm in Portland, Maine. These are household based surveys using random digit dial procedures to insure that each select household has an equal chance of receiving a call. Households are selected based on the characteristic that they have a youth living in the household. The Youth Surveys are for youth grades 9-12; a total of 403 telephone interviews with Maine youth were done in November 2000, 402 in November 2001, 400 in November 2002, and 400 in December 2004. Due to inadequate funding, there weren’t any interviews conducted in 2003.

 

The Parent component of the survey effort was slightly different for the 2004 report. Previous to this year survey items were purchased from the work of the Maine Development Foundation and their Survey of Maine Citizens, see above. This year Critical Insights conducted the parent survey under contract for the Maine Marks project and during the months of December 2004 and January 2005, 400 Maine adults responded to the survey.

Survey instruments used for the 2004 report

For more specific information about the survey efforts, please contact:

Michel Lahti, Ph.D.
University of Southern Maine
Muskie School of Public Service
295 Water Street
Augusta , ME 04330

P: 207.626.5274
Email: mlahti@usm.maine.edu

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