Skip to main content

ChicagoSpeaks

People at a street festival in Chicago
A rigorous, community-driven research resource for local organizations and policymakers
  • Funder
    NORC at the University of Chicago
  • Dates
    Quarterly since 2024

Problem

Chicagoans do not have a regular, affordable means to share their opinions on city issues.

There is a critical gap in understanding the perspectives, needs, and lived experience of Chicago’s diverse residents, particularly in disinvested communities whose voices are often underrepresented in programs, policymaking, investments, and reporting. Without access to affordable, frequent reliable information directly from a representative sample of city residents, community organizations, foundations, policymakers, and media are often left to guess about community priorities, opinions, hopes and behaviors. This lack of insight hinders efforts to improve the quality of life for all Chicagoans.

Solution

ChicagoSpeaks provides insights from Chicagoans to inform policymaking, investments, and media coverage.

The vision is for ChicagoSpeaks to offer the city a scientifically rigorous, affordable community-driven research resource for informing residents, policymakers, service providers, researchers, media, and elected officials with accurate information about the experiences, behaviors, and opinions of all Chicago residents. ChicagoSpeaks is a representative panel of Chicago residents offering meaningful data on a vast range of important topics. This panel gives a voice to city residents on problems facing communities, including public safety, community development, immigration, jobs, politics, and many more.

ChicagoSpeaks plans to include accessible data visualization and dissemination strategies, so the insights generated have real, positive impact on the quality of life of Chicagoans, particularly those whose voices are often heard the least. Through a regular “pulse survey,” ChicagoSpeaks will create a common information base and trend data on topics of interest to city residents. These surveys will be accessible to all Chicagoans.

Result

ChicagoSpeaks is already informing public debate.

ChicagoSpeaks’ inaugural survey included a survey about Chicago’s move to an elected school board, residents’ feelings on safety, gun ownership, and immigration.

Project Leads

Related Projects

Surveys of Chicago Parents About Schooling in the Pandemic

Surveying Chicago parents about their child’s learning experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

Client:

Kids First Chicago

Live Crime Tracker

Gathering and harmonizing daily crime data from more than 50 large American cities