The ChicagoSpeaks surveys will ask your opinions about Chicago’s current circumstances, finances, education, culture, and more. Topics may include healthcare, housing, jobs and wages, public safety, cost of living, the environment, and other aspects of living in Chicago.

NORC at the University of Chicago, an objective, non-partisan research institution, is conducting the surveys. NORC has been conducting impactful, unbiased research for more than 80 years. Organizations like Consumer Reports, the American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, Associated Press, Harvard University, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Education, and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs use our data and insights to make important program and policy decisions. Now we are using our expertise to better understand Chicagoans’ opinions and experiences and how to improve policy decisions that affect their lives.

The surveys will be conducted for community-based organizations in Chicago, as well as for researchers, policy makers, and other business leaders interested in improving the lives of Chicagoans.

The research team will have access to the data. Only survey responses will be shared with clients. No Personally Identifiable Information is shared with any clients, unless you give us explicit permission to do so.

Chicago—its citizens, leaders, businesses, and community and cultural organizations—needs a research platform that focuses only on the city. ChicagoSpeaks will provide a scientifically rigorous, community-driven research resource for informing residents, policies, programs, and resources with accurate information about the experiences, and opinions of all Chicago communities. The surveys aim to promote the voice of all Chicagoans in real time.

In the survey, if you choose Amazon, Target, or Walgreens eGift Cards, it will arrive via email to the email address you provided. If you select a physical Mastercard® Reward card, it will be mailed to the mailing address you provided.

We are required to protect your confidentiality and your opinions:

• Only NORC researchers conducting the survey can access your personal contact information.
• We report the results in summary form only. We protect your privacy by grouping your opinions with those of many other Chicago residents.
• We only use your contact information for this study. We do not share your contact information with any other entity except to contact you for this study or send you your reward.
• We store your personal information apart from your answers, so there is no way to identify you as a participant.