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NORC at the University Chicago
NORC has extensive experience creating and evaluating communication and outreach programs.

NORC conducts comprehensive assessments of the effectiveness of communication and outreach campaigns through formative studies, audience research, message testing, and other methods. With our partners, we also develop special-purpose communication campaigns of our own. NORC was selected to conduct a rigorous evaluation of the communications campaign for the 2010 Census, with applications for the 2020 Census. Working with the California Department of Public Health, NORC has collected data to inform the messaging and assess the ongoing effectiveness of a statewide obesity prevention campaign targeted at low‑income families. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we worked closely with the CDD Foundation on How Right Now, a communications campaign designed to promote and strengthen the emotional well-being and resiliency of populations adversely affected by COVID-19.

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Communication & Outreach

Highlighted Projects

Binational Bus Travel: An Innovation for Public Health Action

Improving disease prevention via public health management of cross-border bus travel

Client:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Communicating Safe Behavior Practices to Vulnerable Road Users

Helping Virginia Tech address risky behavior for vulnerable road users through communication support

Funder:

National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine

Effective Traffic Safety Messaging

Developing an evaluation framework for traffic safety campaigns

Client:

Traffic Research Board of the National Academies of Science, Engineering & Medicine

Advancing Research & Communications in STEM

Raising the nation’s learning curve on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics

Client:

National Science Foundation

Research on Asian American & Pacific Islander Survey Participation

Research on barriers to survey participation faced by AAPI and strategies to increase participation

Funder:

AARP Research

Development of an Interactive Fall Prevention Planning Tool

Online comprehensive tool to increase awareness of fall risk and prevent falls among older adults

Client:

CDC Foundation

Access to Justice Design & Testing Program

A new data collection effort measuring and reporting access to justice for civil legal needs

Client:

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Evaluation of Pennsylvania Community Violence Intervention Programs

Evaluating Pennsylvania’s community efforts to intervene and prevent violence across the state

Client:

Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency

Postpartum Emergency Care Materials Development & Testing

Applying communication science to develop, test, and promote resources supporting clinician readiness for pregnancy-related emergencies

Client:

American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists

HPV Vaccine Perceptions: Young Adults & TikTok Influencers

Engaging non-college 18- to 26-year-olds and TikTok influencers to explore perceptions of the HPV vaccine and health messaging

Client:

Merck

New York State Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Implementation Manual

Developing a resource to support SBIRT implementation in a variety of settings with diverse communities

Funder:

New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS)

Guidelines for Selecting Communication Channels to Deliver Traffic Safety Messaging

Developing comprehensive guidance effective behavioral traffic safety messaging for state highway safety offices

Client:

National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine, Transportation Research Board

ND HOPES Suicide Prevention Initiative

Implementing a multi-tiered approach to suicide prevention in western North Dakota

Client:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

ND THRIVES: North Dakota Rural and Tribal Suicide Care Initiative

Implementing community-based suicide prevention program for youth in north-central and northeastern North Dakota

Funder:

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

How Right Now / Qué Hacer Ahora

A communication initiative to increase people’s resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic

Client:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Foundation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Census of Public Defender Offices (2024)

Collecting national data on state and local public defender offices

Client:

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Mapping Public Discourse Through Social Media Data

Mapping how social media content shapes American public opinion through data science analysis

Funder:

National Science Foundation

COVID-19 Prevention Behaviors

Audience research to support tailored COVID-19 prevention messages and materials for people with disabilities

Client:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Certified Wellness Coach Media Campaign Research & Evaluation

Informing a communication strategy to increase California’s youth behavioral health workforce

Client:

California Department of Health Care Access and Information

Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation Support for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Providing research, monitoring, and evaluation services to support CDC’s legacy Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support (CSTLTS)

Client:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Engaging Online Influencers to Address COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

An intervention to address COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Hispanic, Black, Asian, and Native American parents through online influencers

Client:

Pfizer

Partnering with Social Media Influencers as Messengers to Reduce Vaccine Hesitancy

Engaging social media influencers to help understand HPV vaccine hesitancy in African American or Black, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native communities

Client:

Merck

Network for Community-Engaged Primary Care Research

Evaluating primary care interventions to improve health outcomes

Client:

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities

Developing a National Database on Police Use of Force

The nation’s first police database that combines police data across multiple cities

Client:

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Federal Cervical Cancer Collaborative

Developing resources to improve cervical cancer prevention, screening, and management in safety-net health care settings

Client:

Health Resources and Services Administration

National Center of Excellence for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Data

A multi-pronged effort to improve data capacity for patient-centered outcomes research

Client:

U.S. Health & Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)

Evidence-Based Behavior Campaigns for Traffic Safety

A toolkit to move from simple traffic safety education to behavioral change

Client:

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

Network-Driven COVID-19 Prevention (RADx-UP)

Randomized control trials to evaluate network-based approaches to promote COVID-19 prevention

Client:

National Institute of Drug Abuse

Network-Driven COVID-19 Prevention (RADx-UP)

Randomized control trials to evaluate network-based approaches to promote COVID-19 prevention

Client:

National Institute of Drug Abuse

UCLA Data Center Technical Assistance

Supporting collection, imputation, weighting, analysis, and dissemination of data

Client:

University of California, Los Angeles

Exploring Ethical Documentary Filmmaking & Filmmaker-Participant Relationships

Exploring ethics and accountability in documentary filmmaking

Client:

Independent Television Service

SPACE City Panel

A rigorous, representative source of data on Houstonians’ opinions and priorities

Client:

University of Houston