Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) Wave 21, Michigan, 2025 (ICPSR 39694)

Time Period(s) View help for Time Period(s)

Date of Collection View help for Date of Collection

Data Collection Notes View help for Data Collection Notes

Study Purpose View help for Study Purpose

The Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) is a University of Michigan initiative designed to regularly survey a broad, representative group of Detroit residents about their communities, including their expectations, perceptions, priorities, and aspirations. Since 2016, the DMACS survey has provided valuable insights on the perceptions and attitudes of Detroit residents.

Study Design View help for Study Design

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 January 13, 2025 and March 3, 2025, we invited 3,112 previously enrolled panelists to participate in a self-administered online or interviewer-administered telephone survey. A total of 2,270 Detroit residents completed the survey, yielding a response rate of 73.7% (using AAPOR Response Rate 1).

The questionnaire was developed by the DMACS team. The instrument was programmed and tested by DMACS staff members on mobile and desktop devices to identify issues with question language and ensure the accuracy of skip-pattern logic, randomizations, and other programming issues. The questionnaire was programmed in Qualtrics by DMACS staff and translated into Spanish by CETRA Language Solutions. Respondents were able to select between taking the survey in English or Spanish.

Surveys were self-administered online or were interviewer-administered via telephone between January 13, 2025 and March 3, 2025. All respondents who completed the survey received an incentive (e.g. check or gift card) via mail from the University of Michigan.

Responses were reviewed to identify participants who skipped more than 30% of applicable questions; surveys with greater than 30% missing data were excluded from the dataset. Additionally, responses were reviewed to ensure that no one person was utilizing unique access codes from more than one sampled address. As a result of the review, three respondents were dropped from the dataset prior to weighting and analysis.

Some survey questions allowed respondents to provide open-ended responses in addition to (or instead of) selecting one or more of the response options on the questionnaire.

DMACS staff constructed sample weights using a two-stage process that accounts for multiple stages of sampling and nonresponse that occur at different points in the survey process. The weights are intended to be used as cross-sectional weights, with post-stratification roughly accounting for the unequal selection probabilities.

Responses with less than 50% of all applicable questions answered were considered break-offs, responses with 50% - 70% of applicable questions answered were considered partial, and responses with more than 70% of applicable questions answered were considered complete. The overall response rate to the Wave 21 DMACS survey was 73.7% calculated using AAPOR Response Rate 1.

Sample View help for Sample

Panelists were first recruited to the DMACS study in 2016 (Wave 1) from a simple random sample of Detroit household addresses. The panel was refreshed in 2018 (Wave 3) using a stratified two-stage cluster sample which oversampled census block groups that were at least 70% Hispanic (according to the 2016 5-year ACS estimates). In 2019 (Wave 6) the panel was refreshed using a stratified two-stage cluster sample which oversampled households from each of Detroit's 10 Strategic Neighborhood Fund (SNF) neighborhoods. In 2020 (Wave 12) the panel was refreshed using an oversample of households in Census block groups that were at least 70% Hispanic (according to the 2018 5-year ACS estimates) as well as an oversample of households that were located within Detroit's SNF neighborhoods. Since 2022, including Wave 15, 17 and 20, the panel was refreshed annually using an oversample of households in census block groups whose population was at least 50% Hispanic.

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. There are currently 3,112 active panelists in the DMACS panel. Panelists have the option to complete the survey online or over the phone in either English or Spanish. Panelists are able to unenroll from the panel at any time. If a panelist does not participate in at least one of the surveys from Wave 15 through 20, they may be retired from the panel. There were some incidents where we decided to drop the respondents from the panel, for example, when they were verbally abusive toward our staff or when they attempted to fill out multiple surveys under false identification. To encourage participation from groups with lower response propensity, male panelists either 1) with a high school degree or less or 2) younger than 35 were offered a higher survey incentive of $40, compared to other panelists who were offered an incentive of $25.

Time Method View help for Time Method

Universe View help for Universe

Adults over the age of 18 who reside in the City of Detroit

Unit(s) of Observation View help for Unit(s) of Observation

Data Type(s) View help for Data Type(s)

Mode of Data Collection View help for Mode of Data Collection

Description of Variables View help for Description of Variables

This study covers a range of topics related to respondent housing status and stability, as well as access they may have to resources such as utilities and insurance. Information about respondents' circumstantial challenges, stability of life, political trust, and family factors as also included. The study also collects a range of sensitive or demographic information regarding mental health, income, race/ethnicity, birth place, sex, and gender.

Response Rates View help for Response Rates

The overall response rate of 73.7% (using AAPOR Response Rate 1).

Presence of Common Scales View help for Presence of Common Scales

Likert-type scales; Dichotomous Scales

Original Release Date View help for Original Release Date

2026-03-30

Version History View help for Version History

Weight View help for Weight

The DMACS Wave 21 data includes a weighting variable, WEIGHTS, which should be used in conjunction with the post-survey strata variable when conducting analysis.