Voconiq is a CSIRO spin-out company that bridges the gap between communities and the companies that work alongside them by activating understanding of different viewpoints. Underpinned by a platform of science, Voconiq translates data-driven community insights into tangible solutions which improve the way communities and companies interact and relate.
CSIRO is Australia’ leading science agency. CSIRO has invested in research examining the relationship between companies and the communities they work alongside for more than 10 years. This research on how companies can build deeper trust with communities was spun out of CSIRO in 2019 to increase positive impact and expertise for communities and companies in Australia and around the world.
CSIRO has developed a community survey approach which helps companies understand what the communities they work alongside think about them and why – this is now delivered by Voconiq, a CSIRO spin-out company. Voconiq provides sophisticated data analysis that translates community survey data into a language that companies can engage with and respond to. Community attitude data is collected over time, analysed, and provided back to the company and community in a format that is accessible and useful. The process provides an avenue for the company to actively address issues that are important to the community.
Companies wish to better understand the community they work with, to improve relationships and build trust, based on a mutual understanding of the impacts and benefits of the industrial activities they undertake.
Local Voices is a specialised service offered by Voconiq which captures a full spectrum of opinion at a grassroots level locally around an industrial operation. It’s a way for organisations to conduct a long-term regular analysis of community attitudes to the company’s operations in and around a specific community. It gives the communities neighbouring the operations a voice that is being heard by the company and is helping to inform business decision making.
A detailed Anchor Survey (or baseline) is conducted to understand the key trust drivers in the community, followed by regular Pulse Surveys to track changes. Surveys can be completed online, on mobile, or through brief phone interviews.
In addition, every survey can help earn money for local not-for-profit groups through the Voconiq Local Voices Community Reward Program. Every time a survey is completed, community members can assign a donation to one or more community groups registered with Voconiq.
The Anchor Survey takes place once every three years. Pulse Surveys then take place monthly for at least the three years following an Anchor Survey.
The surveys aim to find out about community attitudes towards issues such as but not limited to the effectiveness of the company’s community investment programs, dust, noise, blast vibrations, employment, skills training and development initiatives. The survey also focuses on the nature of the relationship between community members and the company.
Following a brief registration process, the monthly Pulse Surveys should take just 5 minutes to complete. The Anchor Survey is a more detailed survey, taking approximately 20 minutes to complete. The results of the Anchor Survey determine the items included in the Pulse Surveys.
Yes, the surveys can be completed on any device able to access the online survey platform. The survey is rendered according to the screen size of mobile device. Most modern mobile browsers will be compatible with our mobile surveys, which includes: iPhone, iPad and Android phones and tablets, Windows Phone, BlackBerry and more.
Yes, the surveys may be provided to community members in paper format with a self-addressed return envelope to ensure that everyone who would like to participate is able to. If a community member would prefer to answer the survey on the telephone, a Voconiq team member will be happy to arrange a time to do this over the phone.
The survey can be completed on the same device more than once, by design. Our systems are designed to allow multiple entries into the survey from the same computer or device so that multiple people can complete the survey from the same public machines (for example, from the library or other public computers). This is critical to ensure equal and inclusive access to community members who may not have their own computer or internet (or struggle using such things at home).
However, the issue of multiple survey entries from a single individual potentially skewing the data is something that we take seriously. Our data processing is sophisticated and flags every instance of an additional entry from the same device, as well as flagging similar results from multiple different devices (where, for example, the same individual has completed the survey from multiple different devices). The system alerts us to perform additional checks on these responses (which include both an inspection by a data scientist and via advanced statistical processing). Where multiple responses are deemed to be from the same individual, surplus responses are disregarded and removed from inclusion in the survey results.
In addition, we design our surveys to enable us to provide a deeper insight or understanding of complex issues – the weight of responding or proportion of responses that are supportive of an issue is only one part of the results delivered to the industry(s) that contract us. Of greater interest will often be the average ratings within different groups and how they differ.
Voconiq has a strict ethics framework that protects the rights of research participants. All data are maintained securely, and no personal information or information that would enable identification of individuals is made available to the company or any other party. Participant confidentiality and anonymity are assured. All Voconiq processes comply with or exceed the requirements of the Privacy Act 1988.
Within Voconiq, participant personal information and survey response data are kept physically separate and only accessible by a small number of senior project members. All other parties, including the company in question, receive an aggregated summary of responses by community, not the raw data.
Voconiq will analyse the survey data collected and provide the information back to the communities and to the company in a format that is accessible and useful. The company receives a summary of data collected from the community so they can track how well the operation engages with communities neighbouring their operations.
The aggregated data may be used for the following:
- to identify and understand drivers of trust and acceptance of the operations
- in community engagement activities, and in various company communication materials and reports
- to inform future decisions and activities of industry and policy makers
- to produce reports and scientific papers
- inclusion in a broader program of Voconiq research that aims to understand the relationships between industries and communities at different levels across time.
Companies are committed to use this data to achieve outcomes that matter to your community. The survey data will also inform their community engagement approach, and development within their operation’s region.
Participation is completely voluntary, and participants can stop at any time without any consequence. While retracting data is not possible once results are published, you are free to withdraw your participation at any time, without prejudice, penalty or having to provide a reason for your withdrawal.
This is ok, you can join Local Voices at any time. Voconiq will send a link to the pulse survey that is underway at that time and will continue to send invitations each month until you tell them otherwise.
Community groups that are eligible include schools, charities, and not-for-profit clubs and organisations operating within the region of the study. Groups must be nominated for the Rewards Program by a community member who has been authorised by the group, before they can receive tokens. Full eligibility criteria will be available on a dedicated project website, where groups can nominate to register for the project.
When participants complete the Anchor Survey, they receive 20 tokens which they can allocate to one or more eligible not-for-profit community groups that have registered with Voconiq via the project webpage (worth $10 per Anchor survey). For each Pulse Survey completed, participants earn four e-tokens which they can similarly allocate.
Each month, Voconiq will send an update to all community groups advising the number of tokens accrued and their dollar value. Community groups can cash these tokens in at any time through a template that Voconiq will provide with simple instructions for use. For example, after the Anchor Survey, many groups decide to cash in their tokens for a donation.
The community group can cash in tokens pro rata. For example, 500 tokens would be equal to $250.
No. There is no limit to the number of credits any one community group can accrue. The challenge is to get your networks motivated to complete surveys to trigger rewards.
As an authorised representative for your community group, we will send you updates on your token accrual and balance at the end of each survey collection period. Your community group might have a target that you are aiming for, so this will help you keep on track and encourage more members of your network to participate if needed – or help you to reach this target sooner! This information might also be a nice way to keep your members and network up to date with how their tokens are contributing to your group.
When your community group is ready to request payment for their tokens, simply submit an invoice to Voconiq for the amount owed. Electronic invoices (i.e. PDF) will be submitted via an online form that will be accessible on the Community Rewards page of the Local Voices website. Payment will be made within 30 days of submission. Further information will be sent through to registered community groups.
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