PACE’s Civic Language Perceptions Project seeks to understand peoples’ perceptions of the language associated with civic engagement and democracy work.

In partnership with Citizen Data, PACE conducted an online survey between November 21-28, 2021 from a nationally representative random sample of 5,000 registered voters to poll 21 terms commonly used in civic engagement and democracy work and to understand how people perceive and associate them. The survey data can be explored in this interactive dashboard, which is available for public use; view a copy of the survey instrument. We believe that our collective exploration will be stronger, more representative, and more informative when there are lots stakeholders – you! – engaging deeply in the data and helping to drive the conversation about how we do this work more effectively.

Accessing the Dashboard

To gain access and start exploring, please hit the button below. You will be asked to answer a few short questions and then you’ll receive an email with a link, password, and username after you hit submit.

An Important Note

The dashboard was built to make the data available and accessible to non-statisticians; we’ve tried to make it as intuitive and user-friendly as possible. That said, numbers and stats are still tricky, and it can require some nuanced thinking to understand what analysis you’re running and what results you’re looking at. Please pay careful attention and if you have any questions about the accuracy of your analysis or interpretation, please email Language@PACEfunders.org. The responsibility for accurate analysis and interpretation is that of the user, and not of PACE.

Using the Dashboard

Once you’re in the dashboard, if you need help, please press “User Guide” from the top menu bar. In addition to some instructions and an orientation to the dashboard, it also includes methodology and a suggested citation for use. We also offer a video demonstration and responses to frequently asked questions if you need help utilizing or navigating the dashboard. For all other questions, please email Language@PACEfunders.org.