First Amendment Survey

Appendix A

Telephone Introduction ©

Hello, my name is . I am calling from the University of Wisconsin-Stout Survey Center. We are conducting a 4-minute nonpartisan public opinion poll of randomly selected adults in Wisconsin.

The purpose of this survey is to determine peoples’ opinions about the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

If you would allow us just four minutes we would appreciate your participation. Of course, your cooperation is completely voluntary and you could stop participating at any time. Also, your responses to the survey are completely confidential.

Are you over the age of 18?

Do you have any questions?

May I begin the interview?

Fallback Statements

Purpose

The purpose of the poll is to discover Wisconsin adults’ opinions about First Amendment protections in general, and also opinions on some currently debated “hot topics” related to the First Amendment, such as flag burning and racist or sexist speech.

Sponsor

The University of Wisconsin-Stout sponsors the statewide poll. We do not represent any political party. The survey is completely nonpartisan.

Use of Findings

The findings of the study will be made public through traditional news media. The findings will be used by one of the UW-Stout faculty investigators to improve public school “Civics” curriculum. Additionally, the findings are expected to be of use to state government officials, political parties, and politically oriented organizations.

Sampling

Your telephone number was computer-generated and selected at random to best represent opinions in Wisconsin. We do not know your name or address.

Questions or Comments

Please direct any questions or comments about the poll to Dr. Tom Franklin at UW-Stout. His telephone is 715-232-2242. Email at: franklint@uwstout.edu

Questions about the rights of survey participants can be addressed to Sue Foxwell, Human Protections Administrator, at 715-232-1126.