Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: There is growing evidence that use of advance letters and answering machine messages in list sample telephone studies can improve cooperation rates and reduce initial refusals. However, there is less known about their effect in random-digit dial (RDD) surveys. The research presented here examines the results of two experiments to assess the effect on response rates and initial refusal rates of sending advance letters to and leaving scripted messages on the answering machines of BRFSS sample members. The data come from an experimental study conducted with 1,600 respondents (800 in each experiment – 400 treatment and 400 controls in each) in several states, following standard BRFSS protocol. Additionally, respondents were asked several questions about the advance letters and answering machine messages, such as did the selected respondent actually see the letter (or hear the message)? Did the letter (or message) influence their determination to participate in the survey? The analysis examines the impact of each of these approaches on response rates and initial refusal rates.

Publication Type: Session Paper
Abstract: Television as a medium has traditionally been defined by its limitations – technological, political, and cultural. This essay seeks to explore the expansion of television’s norms and constraints through an extended discussion regarding the possibilities of HBO being something other than TV. This will be done through an exploration of sexuality, violence, and profanity and how each of these acts as a cultural marker within HBO’s brand identity. By examining the dirty underbelly of the tube of plenty, this paper will examine the past, present, and future of pay television, concluding with a discussion of the syndication and reediting of HBO’s original programming and what the regulation of cable may mean for a channel that has used explicit content as a way to position itself outside televisual normativity.

Publication Type: Poster
Abstract: Letters of recommendation are crucial to the graduate school admissions, and the language used to describe applicants is a key component of the process. Content of graduate school admission letters was analyzed to determine the presence of gendered language and its relation to the applicant’s or the letter writer’s gender.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: In the context of the historic election of 2008, with the nomination of Barack Obama as the Democratic Party’s candidate for the office of President of the United States, an invitation has been extended to the electorate, via the authors’ website, www.LetterstoPresidentObama. Letters to the newly elected president in which the citizenry and interested observers from around the globe share their hopes, dreams,_x000d_priorities along with recommendations for needed policies and programs are being collected and will be published, pending a favorable outcome for this candidate. In any case, the analysis and categorization of these letters will be the subject of this presentation. More specifically, we will focus on the results of a study of the identified issues, the demographic characteristics and the geographic distribution of the correspondents. We will highlight contemporary concerns and personal narratives that constitute the opinions of these individuals. These letters document the passions and the perspectives of those who speak of hope and the change that is needed.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This paper provides an exploratory examination of Uganda's ABC (Abstinence, Be Faithful, Condoms) response to HIV/AIDS using automated media content analysis. Anecdotal evidence from Uganda suggests that there has been a shift away from the promotion of condom use toward a greater promotion of abstinence; however, to date a systematic investigation of this claim has not been performed. The purpose of this paper is two-fold. The first is to quantify the impression that ABC messaging has had on the Ugandan population over time. This will be done by performing content analysis of Ugandan newspapers, a proxy for the dominant discourses present in the public sphere. Analysis is performed using 'Lexicoder,' a software package designed by Lori Young and Stuart Soroka and programmed by myself. The second purpose of this paper is to explore the correlation between any shifts in ABC messaging and related sexual behaviour. For instance, abstinence messaging is compared with age at first sex and actual abstinence rates. The results present more questions than answers, however shifts in ABC messaging are clearly observed and in some cases, particularly in the 'being faithful' messaging, there is strong reason to believe that the contents of the public sphere are correlated with sexual behaviour.