Data Collection in Dangerous Neighborhoods

Abstract

As part of an evaluation of the Chicago Housing Authonty's (CHA) Anti-Drug Initiative—a comprehensive crime prevention program—the authors have conducted four waves of a cross- sectional, face-to-face survey in nine CHA buildings. This article describes the data collection procedures developed, including using resident interviewers, the problems encountered, and the lessons learned. The authors describe their experiences in recruiting and training resident interviewers and addressing safety concerns. Using techniques developed for this study, the authors achieved consistently high response rates (more than 75%), despite the constraints of interviewing in public housing.