International Public Role & Engagement of Sociology Study (IPRESS)

Welcome to the International Public Role & Engagement of Sociology Study (IPRESS)

We invite you to participate in the IPRESS. It is part of study being conducted by the University of Wollongong (UOW), NSW, Australia, on behalf of The Australian Sociological Association (TASA).

What is this survey for?

The purpose of this study is to understand how sociology graduates and academics apply their sociological skills and knowledge in a range of sectors, including private industry, various levels of government, the NGO/charity sector and the media, for purposes of research, education, advocacy, policy making and/or other social impact. It is also intended to help us understand how sociology is perceived within the wider community, whether there is potential for more extensive or appropriate engagement, and whether there are important differences across various states, territories and countries. The chief investigator of this project is a staff member of the University of Wollongong (UOW)

Researchers - A/Prof Roger Patulny (Chief Investigator, UOW), Prof Anna Hickey-Moody, Ms Dorinda ’t Hart, Ms Bronte Petrolo

Who can participate?

This survey is intended to be completed by anyone who:

1) - is a current member of a professional sociological association (e.g TASA, BSA, ASA, ESA, ISA, etc)

2) - is undertaking or has completed an honours, masters, or PhD degree in sociology

3) - regularly teaches, researches, or applies sociology in any sector (i.e. university, industry, charity, government, media)

To participate in this survey, participants will be asked to complete a consent form.

Method and Demands on Participants

To participate in this project, participants are required to complete one, online survey. The survey will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. The survey will consist of a mix of closed-ended and open-ended questions. The survey is broken into 7 sections, with the first section asking participants questions based on their demographic details. The following 6 sections ask participants questions regarding their perspectives on: the public profile of sociology, the partners (inside and outside of the university) that they interact with, sociology in the media, their engagement with sociology students, the relevance and adequacy of sociological skills, and employment opportunities for sociology graduates and professionals.

Please note that the survey asks questions about gender and sexuality. These questions will help with the project aims by making sure that all persons of various genders and sexualities feel included (which they might not if these questions are not asked), and thus are more likely to participate in the surveys. There is also a question about experiences of discrimination. This question will assist the researchers in understanding if there have been have barriers or obstacles towards one's engagement within sociology. Participants can decline to answer any of these questions if they feel uncomfortable.

Possible Risks, Inconveniences and Discomforts

Participation in this study is voluntary. Survey results are anonymous, and the survey can be completed in any location which is comfortable to you, so there are no risks or burdens involved in this study. Participants can withdraw from the survey before completing the survey by closing their browser and exiting the survey. Responses ended before completion will not be included. However, once participants have submitted the survey, they will not be able to withdraw their data from the study as it is anonymous, and the researcher/s will be unable to identify their response. If participants choose to not participate in the research or to withdraw from the survey, their relationship with the University of Wollongong, TASA or other professional sociological associations will not be affected. If participants are adversely affected from partaking in the research, they can access the support services listed at the end of this Participant Information Sheet.

Funding and Benefits of the Research

This study is supported by funding from The Australian Sociological Association (TASA). Summary findings and de-identified qualitative quotes from the study will be shared with TASA. Individual survey responses will remain anonymous. The researchers intend to publish the survey results in a report and/or academic articles. If participants wish to be involved in future research, they will be asked to provide their email address. Email addresses will be stored separately from participant’s survey responses to ensure anonymity in analysing responses. A depersonalised ID code connecting the email addresses and responses will also be stored separately, and used only to link data longitudinally should participants agree to partake in this survey again in the future. This study is seeking extended consent to share de-identified data with other collaborators in the future. Any such future uses of data will only occur with approval from an appropriate ethics committee.

These results will help inform the development of long-term strategies for sociological organisations around the world to engage with all sectors of society. They will also help the researchers identify gaps in existing sociological knowledge, and to prioritise areas for future engagement and research. The results may also be used to promote sociology more generally. Although the researchers cannot offer any compensation to participants for their involvement in the research, participants will be thanked for their time, and if they wish, participants will be able to view the study’s findings when it is compiled into a report for TASA.

Ethics Review and Complaints

This project has been reviewed and approved by the Social Sciences Human Research Ethics Committee at the University of Wollongong. The ethics reference number for this project is 2021/425. The project will be monitored by TASA. If you have any question about the project and your participation in it, please contact the lead researcher, A/Prof Roger Patulny, at: rpatulny@uow.edu.au or Twitter: @rpatulny. If you have concerns or complaints, please contact the UOW Ethics Officer: (02) 4221 3386 or rsoethics@uow.edu.au.

Take the Survey

If you meet the criteria for participation above, you can take the survey by clicking the orange button below:

Take the Survey

Or copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:

https://uow.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_80Ti3JYmt7Y2rQi
Thank you for your time and interest,

Associate Professor Roger Patulny,
TASA Executive, Public Sociology Portfolio Leader 

Email - rpatulny@uow.edu.au
Twitter - @rpatulny

IPRESS - Participating Sociological Associations
We have had assistance from 29 Sociological associations around the world in distributing the survey, whom we thank for their assistance. They are:

· The Australian Sociological Association

· British Sociological Association

· Bulgarian Sociological Association

· Caribbean Sociological Association

· European Association for Sociology of Sport

· European Society for Rural Sociology

· European Sociological Association

· German Association for Law and Society

· Ireland - The Sociological Association of Ireland (SAI)

· Israel Sociological Society

· Japan Sociological Society (JSS)

· Lithuanian Sociological Society

· Association of Sociologists of the Republic of Macedonia

· Asociaţia Română de Sociologie

· Slovene Sociological Association

· Sociologists Outside Academia group of the British Sociological Association

· New York State Sociological Association

· Sociologists for Women in Society

· British Sociological Association

· European Society for Health and Medical Sociology

· Sociological Association of Aotearoa (New Zealand)

· Sociologists Outside Academia group of the British Sociological Association

· Canadian Sociological Association

· North Central Sociological Association

· Portuguese Sociological Association (Associação Portuguesa de Sociologia, APS)

· Asia Pacific Sociological Association

· South Carolina Sociological Association

· Norwegian Sociological Association

· Federación Española de Sociologia (FES)







2016 meeting with ISA delegates including Dan Woodman and Katie Hughes