Gallup-Purdue Index survey of Virginia Tech alumni well-being

A Survey Report by Gallup and Purdue University on Great Jobs, Great Lives 2

A Survey Report by Gallup and Purdue University on Great Jobs, Great Lives https://vtnews.vt.edu/content/dam/vtnews_vt_edu/documents/2015-08-gallup.pdf Survey Questions The survey sought to uncover the college experiences and perceptions that are related to greater gains in well-being and the workplace. The survey focused on ten questions, which were administered on alumni of Virginia Tech 1. Was Virginia Tech passionate about the long-term success of its students? 2. Did Virginia Tech prepare you well for life outside of college? 3. While attending Virginia Tech, did you have an internship or a job that allowed you or apply what you were learning in the classroom? 4. While attending Virginia Tech, did you have a project that took one semester or more to complete. 5. Were you active in extracurricular activities and organizations while attending Virginia Tech? 6. Did your professors at Virginia Tech care about you as a person? 7. While attending Virginia Tech, did you have a mentor who encouraged you to pursue your goals and dreams? 8. Did you have at least one professor at Virginia Tech who made you excited about learning? 9. Did you participate in community service while at Virginia Tech? 10. Have you participated in unpaid community service or volunteer activities in the last 12 months? These questions are not placed at a single place in the survey but are classified into five sections. These five sections include those that focus on: · The purpose of well-being · Social well-being · Financial well –being · Physical well-being · Community well-being Methodology The survey was web-based running from 10 March to 1 April 2015. Gallup Inc. approached Virginia Tech for emails of its alumni where a sample of 13,994 undergraduate alumni completed the survey. The population that was sent the emails was 99,714 alumni, but 85,720 did not complete the survey. The Gallup-Purdue Index that was subjected to these respondents was developed in 2014. The sample Index was compiled from the Gallup Daily tracking survey and the Gallup Panel. The Gallup Panel is a longitudinal probability-based panel whose participants are often selected through random digit dial, which can be administered via Web, Mail or Phone. The Gallup Daily Tracking utilizes 50% of respondents with mobile phones and 50% of respondents with landline phones. For the Gallup-Purdue Index, the interview was solely Web-based and in the English language. Confidence in the Findings The data collected from the survey had to be ascertained of its credibility and reliability. First, the institutions carrying out the research are credible institutions which have conducted other school and peer-reviewed research studies. Their previous records offer a high credibility rating since their research results are used globally by institutions and governments. Additionally, the emails used to conduct the interviews were collected from the Virginia Tech database whose alumni were under study. This indicates that deviations from the target population were minimal. The samples used were also weighted to correct for unequal selection probability as well as non-response. More so, the information collected was weighed to align with the most recent national demographics of education, ethnicity, gender, region, and race.