In a typical year, the Institute is involved in approximately 40 survey data collection projects. Following are brief study descriptions of some current or recently completed projects.

South Carolina State Survey. The South Carolina State Survey is the Institute’s major on-going project. Instituted in the Spring of 1990, the State Survey is a semi-annual telephone survey of South Carolina residents age 18 or older that is designed to enable policymakers, planners and decision-makers to collect high quality survey information in a timely and cost-effective manner, without having to bear the costs of mounting a full survey. Thirty-four surveys have been conducted as part of this series, and participants have included a wide range of state agencies, non- profit organizations, and others interested in public policy issues in South Carolina. Among the organizations that have included questions in the State Survey are the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, the Department of Revenue, the Department of Health and Environmental Control, the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Social Services, the Department of Education, the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation, Prevent Child Abuse South Carolina, the South Carolina Progressive Network, and the South Carolina Chapter of the American Lung Association.

Evaluation of the Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws Program. In collaboration with researchers at Wake Forest University, the Institute is involved in the evaluation of the underage drinking laws program that is designed to determine what state and local activities are being supported to combat underage drinking and to evaluate the impact of this program in a sample of communities. As part of this evaluation, the Institute is conducting: (1) telephone interviews with police and sheriff’s departments in 70 communities in states that have received discretionary grants to enhance enforcement of underage drinking laws; and (2) telephone interviews with 4,200 youth ages 14 to 20  in these same communities.

Public Perceptions of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. In this on-going project for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), the Institute is involved in monitoring the public’s perceptions of DHEC. This project was begun in 1998 when the Institute conducted a large-scale assessment of the department that involved telephone interviews with the general public and with a sample of clients who had used DHEC’s services. With these results serving as a baseline, the Institute has continued to monitor the public’s views of DHEC, including awareness of the agency, general perceptions of DHEC, use of services, and perceptions of specific aspects of service delivery, such as courtesy and attitude of staff, ability to answer questions and provide information, and waiting time for service.

South Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is the world’s largest, on-going telephone health survey system, tracking health conditions and risk behaviors in the United States yearly since 1984. Working the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, each month the Institute conducts telephone interviews with a representative sample of approximately 800 South Carolina residents age 18 and older. The questionnaire used in the BRFSS interview includes items on issues such as asthma, diabetes, health care access, alcohol use, hypertension, obesity, cancer screening, nutrition and physical activity, and tobacco use. This information is used to track health risks in the state, identify emerging problems, prevent disease, and improve treatment.