Creating safe and inclusive spaces
Using state of the art mobile app technology, we aim to make the places where people live, work and visit safer and more inclusive.
To achieve this, we first need to understand the kinds of places people frequent in their daily routines, how others who share these spaces are perceived, and what makes these places feel safe and inclusive. Findings from our study are a critical first step to building capacity across communities to prevent crime and disorder.
The Perceptions and Experiences of Place study is a collaboration between Griffith University and the University of Queensland and involves researchers from Monash University and Ohio State University. The study aims to develop innovative strategies for improving safety in communities, workplaces, and other places that people visit. Data will be collected using a bespoke smartphone application that passively collects location data and delivers short surveys asking participants about their perceptions of places and spaces they visit. This data will be critical to developing place based initiatives to make places safer and more inclusive for everyone.
Rebecca Wickes
Thank you for supporting this study, which is core to my research. I hope to better understand how to improve safety and inclusion in and around the home, in the workplace and in the places people go for leisure and entertainment. Your insights about safety in different kinds of places will help develop strategies to improve people’s experiences of place.
Jonathan Corcoran
Your participation in this study is extremely important to my research work, which seeks to understand how our regular daily movements around our neighbourhoods and beyond shape our experiences of place. Your insights about safety about the various places you visit and spend time as part of your daily life are key to developing smarter strategies to improve citizen’s experiences of place.
Danielle Reynald
Thank you so much for your engagement with our study. I am passionate about uncovering the power and potential of regular citizens like yourself to function as effective agents of crime prevention and control during the course of their activities at various types of places/spaces, and at different times. So your participation in this study is invaluable.
Chloe Keel
I am a research fellow on the study and I appreciate you participating in the study! I'm really interested to understand the ways in which gender plays a part in people's perceptions and experiences of different places around Brisbane.
Ying Lu
I am a postdoctoral research fellow on the study and thank you for participating in the study. My research interest focuses on understanding transportation travel mode choice and urban trajectory.
Sally Brewer
My name is Sally and I am a PhD candidate and an early career researcher on the PEP study. I am helping with administrative and organisational tasks for this study to gain further experience before starting my PhD.
Research
In this study we are using a specially designed app from MetricWire which passively collects location data across the weeklong study. The app will send four short surveys to complete several times a day between the hours of 8:00 am and 9:00 pm.
Participants will receive these surveys at home, at work and at other places they frequent. The surveys include questions about feelings of safety, perceptions of other people that are also in and/or using the same space, and questions about who might be responsible and willing to intervene if problems were to occur.
This study involves asking the same research questions daily. This repetition is important to our research as we wish to better understand people’s perceptions of safety at different times in the day and in different places. This will help us identify how changes in an individual’s environment might influence their safety, their sense of inclusion and their willingness to respond to potential problems that might occur. Each mobile-based survey should take 2-3 minutes to complete, only requiring a small amount of your time over the course of the study.
Our team are experts in the areas of safety, place and mobilities. This study is led by Professor Rebecca Wickes (Griffith University), Professor Jonathan Corcoran (University of Queensland) and Associate Professor Danielle Reynald (Griffith University). We are ably assisted by two post doctoral researchers and a research assistant.
Ethics
This study has received ethical clearance (GU Ref No: 2022/042).
Data Storage
The data will be stored in the University of Queensland (UQ) Research Data Manager (RDM) which is a robust, world-leading system designed and developed by UQ. RDM provides UQ with an integrated data management system covering the entire research data lifecycle. It offers seamless provisioning of easily accessible, secure and sharable data storage in real-time. RDM will ensure that research data is (1) secure, minimising the risk of data loss; and (2) is available in accordance with the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research and the FAIR guiding principles. For further information of RDM, please visit:
.Data Analysis
During the process of analysing the data, participants’ names will be replaced by ID numbers to protect personal information. Personal information (e.g., household location, age, and gender) will not correspond to any identifiable participant information.
Honorarium
You will be awarded $5 per day for completion of the in-app surveys (if your location services are on), receiving up to a total honorarium of $35 if you complete the 7-day study. You will not receive the honorarium payment on days where the in-app surveys have not been completed and/or your location services is turned off. Upon completion of the 7 days, your honorarium payment will be calculated and ordered accordingly. You should receive your e-gift cards approximately 2-3 weeks after the study completion.
Guide to MetricWire
Download instructions regarding how to download the app MetricWire and enroll our study. Before downloading MetricWire, please make sure your device is Android 9+.
Download instructions regarding how to download the app MetricWire and enroll our study. Before downloading MetricWire, please make sure your device is running IOS 12+.