The Survey Program was established in 1979 to conduct research on consumer attitudes and buying behavior in Florida. Over time, it has grown to become a state-of-the-art survey research program with a 70-station computerized lab operating seven days a week. Renamed the UF Survey Research Center (UFSRC) in 2001, the program conducts a regular monthly survey of some 500 households in Florida. Staff members conduct research on a variety of survey-related topics, publish the results in scholarly journals, and make presentations at professional conferences.

The UFSRC generates a Florida Consumer Confidence Index to assess how Floridians feel about the economy. This index, patterned after the University of Michigan’s national Consumer Confidence Index, is released to the press monthly and is made available on the BEBR Web site.

The UFSRC also conducts customized surveys for a variety of federal, state, and local government agencies; university research centers; non-profit organizations; and for-profit businesses. Recent clients have included the UF Department of Anthropology, the UF Department of Forestry, the UF Department of Parks and Recreation, the UF Institute for Child Health Policy, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, the Florida Department of Education, the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Public Service Commission, the Kansas Health Institute, and the National Science Foundation.

The UFSRC accepts proposals for funded survey research from outside sources. Staff members can provide assistance in sample design, wording of questions, survey implementation, and data analysis. For further information, please contact the UF Survey Research Center at 352-392-2908.

Staff members: