Dear Participant:

Thanks so much for your consideration of our survey! What you'll find on this page is a description of the study, then a statement about participation, followed by a space for you to indicate whether or not you give your consent to participate. If you decide to participate after reading this information, you can scroll down to the bottom of the page, click "next," and start the survey!

DESCRIPTION OF THE RESEARCH: You are invited to participate in a study about opinions of social issues in American society. You will be asked to complete a survey that is likely to take you approximately 20 minutes. The research is being conducted by Lauren Appio, B.A., who is a doctoral student of Counseling Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. The supervising researcher of this study is Dr. Laura Smith, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.

RISKS AND BENEFITS: The risks of participating in this study are considered to be comparable to those involved in reading about or discussing social issues. If the survey material raises questions or concerns, you are encouraged to exit the survey immediately and close your browser. You may also address questions to Ms. Appio, who can be reached at lma2138@columbia.edu, or Dr. Smith, who can be reached at ls2396@columbia.edu.

This study was approved by the Teachers College Institutional Review Board (IRB), protocol #09-252. If you have any questions that you would like to direct to the IRB, you may contact the office via email: sponsoredprograms@exchange.tc.columbia.edu.

DATA STORAGE TO PROTECT CONFIDENTIALITY: To protect confidentiality, all information is maintained confidentially and anonymously. I never ask for participants' names and do not collect IP addresses or other computer-related information. Further, my survey is located on a secure, encrypted site. Survey results will be collected as group-wide responses only, and any downloaded content will be stored in a password-protected computer in the primary investigator’s office.

TIME INVOLVEMENT: Your participation will take approximately 20 minutes.

HOW WILL RESULTS BE USED: The final, analyzed results of the study are expected to be used in the preparation of scholarly articles and conference presentations.

Please be aware that you may end your participation in the study at any point without penalty -- for this reason, an "exit this survey" button is provided on each page (it's in the top right-hand corner). There are no direct benefits of participating in the study.

Thank you for the contribution of your time!

Sincerely,
Lauren Appio, B.A.

Participants' Consent Statement

I have read the description of the study provided above, and my participation in this study is voluntary. I know that I may refuse to participate, and that subsequently I may withdraw from participation at any time.