Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) Series

Since 2016, the Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) works to amplify the voices of Detroiters across the institutions shaping the future of the city. We do this by regularly collecting, analyzing, and disseminating high-quality public opinion data from a large, representative panel of Detroiters. This sample also includes one of the largest panel surveys of Black American respondents in the country. Our data, which contains detailed information from more than 4,500 individual Detroiters collected over 16 surveys, represents the most detailed and comprehensive source of information available about Detroiters’ experiences, perceptions, priorities, and aspirations.

DMACS has high-quality, representative data on topics including but not limited to:

  • Neighborhood perceptions
  • The significant housing cost burden faced by many Detroiters
  • Detroiters’ views of reparations for Black Americans
  • Health and healthcare
  • Changes in local employment rates and patterns
  • Household finances
  • The issues that Detroiters wanted elected officials to prioritize leading up to the 2022 midterm elections

Data from all DMACS survey waves will be made available over time. In 2022 we expanded our data collection efforts to include additional Michigan communities. Thus far, the Michigan Metro Area Communities Study (MIMACS) has conducted surveys in Flint and Ypsilanti, Michigan. This data will also be archived here once curated.

Showing 1 to 7 of 7 entries.
Study Title/Investigator
Released/Updated
1.
Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) Wave 12, Michigan, 2021 (ICPSR 38199)
Gerber, Elisabeth; Morenoff, Jeffrey
The Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) is a panel survey of Detroit residents launched in 2016. The original panel of respondents was drawn from an address-based probability sample of all occupied Detroit households. In subsequent years, the panel has been refreshed through additional address-based sampling. The 12th survey wave, collected between January 6, 2021 and March 5, 2021 included a sample refresh using multiple recruitment modes (mail, email, text, and phone). The researchers sent a total of 11,655 invitations to the survey: 1,766 to existing DMACS panelists who had already responded to at least one prior survey and 9,889 to residents of a randomly-selected address-based refreshment sample of Detroit households. This refreshment included an oversample of households in Census block groups that were at least 70% Hispanic and households in Strategic Neighborhood Fund (SNF) neighborhoods. Surveys were self-administered online or interviewer-administered via telephone. Adaptive design was used to increase response rates amongst hard-to-reach subgroups. The researchers report results for the 2,238 Detroit residents who completed the survey. The researchers obtained an overall response rate of 20.22% (using American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) Response Rate 1); 72.6% for existing panelists and 10.4% for new panelists.
2023-01-16
2.
Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) Wave 13, Michigan, 2021 (ICPSR 38252)
Gerber, Elisabeth; Morenoff, Jeffrey
The Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) is a panel survey of Detroit residents aged 18 and older. The original panel of respondents was drawn from an address-based probability sample of all occupied Detroit households in 2016 and has since been refreshed through additional address-based sampling annually. The 13th survey wave, collected between June 2, 2021 and July 9, 2021, invited 2,713 previously-enrolled panelists to participate in a self-administered or interviewer-administered survey. Topics include experience with COVID-19; COVID-19 vaccine receipt, attitudes and trust; employment and economic precarity; neighborhood satisfaction; neighborhood blight; housing repair; as well as crime, safety and policing.
2023-03-27
3.
Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) Wave 14, Michigan, 2021 (ICPSR 38970)
Gerber, Elisabeth; Morenoff, Jeffrey
The Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) is a panel survey of Detroit residents aged 18 and older. The original panel of respondents was drawn from an address-based probability sample of all occupied Detroit households in 2016 and has since been refreshed through additional address-based sampling annually. Between November 3 and December 15, 2021, 2,662 previously-enrolled panelists were invited to participate in a self-administered online or interviewer-administered telephone survey. A total of 1,900 Detroit residents completed the survey, yielding an overall response rate of 72% (using AAPOR Response Rate 1). Topics include experience with COVID-19; COVID-19 vaccine receipt, attitudes and trust; employment and economic precarity; neighborhood satisfaction; neighborhood change; as well as healthcare usage; the Child Tax Credit; and Digital Inclusion.
2025-03-31
4.
Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) Wave 15, Michigan, 2022 (ICPSR 38840)
Gerber, Elisabeth; Morenoff, Jeffrey; Ostfeld, Mara
The Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) is a panel survey of Detroit residents aged 18 and older. The original panel of respondents was drawn from an address-based probability sample of all occupied Detroit households in 2016 and has since been refreshed through additional address-based sampling annually. The 15th survey wave, collected between June 16, 2022 and August 26, 2022, invited 2,687 previously enrolled panelists to participate in a self-administered or interviewer-administered survey. Topics include neighborhood perceptions, surveillance technology, economic hardship, entrepreneurship, employment, COVID-19 vaccination, plasma donation, policy priorities, attitudes towards reparations, housing, as well as crime, safety and policing.
2023-07-06
5.
Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) Wave 16, Michigan, 2023 (ICPSR 38892)
Gerber, Elisabeth; Morenoff, Jeffrey; Ostfeld, Mara
The Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) is a panel survey of Detroit residents aged 18 and older. The original panel of respondents was drawn from an address-based probability sample of all occupied Detroit households in 2016 and has since been refreshed through additional address-based sampling annually. The 16th survey wave, collected between January 26, 2023 and March 23, 2023, invited 3,202 previously-enrolled panelists to participate in a self-administered or interviewer-administered survey. Topics included: perceptions of neighborhood; disability; household finances; employment; COVID-19 vaccination; trust and sources of information; employment; Awareness of/Involvement in Vacant Lot Reuse; and attitudes towards reparations.
2025-06-19
6.
Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) Wave 18, Michigan, 2024 (ICPSR 39112)
Gerber, Elisabeth; Morenoff, Jeffrey; Ostfeld, Mara
The Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) is a panel survey of Detroit residents aged 18 and older. The original panel of respondents was drawn from an address-based probability sample of all occupied Detroit households in 2016 and has since been refreshed through additional address-based sampling annually. The 18th survey wave, collected between November 2, 2023 and December 19, 2023, invited 3,065 previously-enrolled panelists to participate in a self-administered or interviewer-administered survey. Topics included: transportation; health; long COVID-19 symptoms; mental health; grocery shopping routines; household finances; inequality; new technologies; drones; non-degree training program; employment.
2025-05-27
7.
Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) Wave 3, Michigan, 2018 (ICPSR 37687)
Gerber, Elisabeth; Morenoff, Jeffrey
Wave 3 of the Detroit Metro Area Community Study was conducted in collaboration with the Detroit Health Department in the summer of 2018 as part of the City's Community Health Assessment. Topics covered include healthcare access and utilization; neighborhood satisfaction and cohesion; community assets; and participants' priorities for change. Demographic information includes race, age, gender, education, household size, employment status, political ideology, and LGBTQIA affiliation.
2020-07-07