2026 Baltimore Area Survey

The purpose of this research study is to understand the experiences and attitudes of Baltimore area residents. We will ask you questions about your experiences and ideas. Your answers will help community groups, businesses, and government workers know what you think and lead to a better understanding of what is important to Baltimore area residents like you. Your address was picked at random to participate in the study. We expect about 1,000 people will participate in this study.

We will ask you questions about your experiences and ideas. We think that the survey will take about 25 minutes to complete.

The risks of participating in this study are no greater than those encountered in daily life. Some questions about mental health and health conditions of loved ones may cause minimal discomfort. If you feel more than minimal discomfort or experience emotional distress and wish to talk to a trained professional, you may call 988.

Your answers will help community groups, businesses, and government workers know what you think and lead to a better understanding of what is important to Baltimore Area residents like you.

You must be at least 18 years old to participate in this study. Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary. If you decide not to participate, there are no penalties, and you will not lose any benefits to which you would otherwise be entitled. If you choose to participate in the study, you can stop your participation at any time, without any penalty or loss of benefits. You can simply close your web browser window. You can also choose not to answer any question. If you want to withdraw from the study, please contact the study help desk at BaltimoreAreaSurvey@westat.com, or 833-628-8374.

All study records will be kept confidential to the extent possible by law. The records from your participation may be reviewed by people responsible for making sure that research is done properly, including members of the Johns Hopkins University Homewood Institutional Review Board and officials from government agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the Office for Human Research Protections. (All of these people are required to keep your identity confidential.) Otherwise, records that identify you will be available only to people working on the study, unless you give permission for other people to see the records. The answers to the survey questions will be kept separate from information that would identify you. Any identifying information will be stored in encrypted files and available only to the people working on the study.

You will be provided $5 as a token of our appreciation for answering the questions. You can select to receive this as an Amazon.com gift code emailed to you, or cash mailed to your address.

You can ask questions about this research study now or at any time during the study, by contacting the Westat help desk at BaltimoreAreaSurvey@westat.com or 833-628-8374, or by calling Mac McComas, Program Director of the 21^st Century Cities Initiative at 410-516-4913.

If you have questions about your rights as a research participant or feel that you have not been treated fairly, please call the Homewood Institutional Review Board at Johns Hopkins University at 410-516-6580.