I'm behind on keeping up with this thread... so my apologies if this has already been covered. But this really steams me! DALPA is finally making a genuine effort to solicit input and only 20% of our pilot group is willing to take just a few minutes to respond? (see below) Are our careers really this unimportant to us? Why wouldn't 90%+ of us respond to this?

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June 15, 2010

Delta MEC Web-Based Survey Deadline Extended to June 30, 2010

As you may recall from MEC Alert 10-03, the Wilson Center for Public Research recently concluded phone polling of Delta pilots on behalf of the Delta MEC. On June 3, 2010, a Web-based survey opened as a means to supplement the phone poll and provide all Delta pilots on ALPA active status with the ability to provide their input to the Delta MEC.

The response rate to the survey, however, has been problematically low with only about 20 percent of eligible pilots choosing to complete the survey to date. The survey was originally scheduled to close at 11:59 PM ET on June 15, 2010, but in an effort to elicit a higher response rate, the deadline has been extended to 11:59 PM ET on June 30, 2010.

To access the survey, logon to the Delta MEC website (Public), click on the icon (shown) located on the homepage, and follow the instructions.

A web survey has the intrinsic advantage of letting anyone who wishes to express an opinion do so, and Web surveys generally cost less than telephone polls. In broad terms, however, the Wilson Center has found that the most important factor affecting Web survey accuracy is participation rate. While phone polls can be accurate with only a few hundred responses, Web surveys that have participation rates below 30 percent of the entire group usually have significant levels of self-selection bias. Self-selection bias occurs when the people who participate are not a representative cross-section of the entire population being surveyed. Unless this bias is mitigated, results will not likely be reflective of the population as a whole.

That is where you come in. Web surveys are an additional avenue to provide your input to your elected representatives, but the overall results provided will only be meaningful if there is significant participation from the Delta pilot group as a whole, and to date, that has not been the case.

The current Web polling effort consists of 30 questions and is primarily a multiple choice format. Questions which were open ended in the phone poll are also in a multiple choice format for the Web survey with choices derived from the most common phone poll results. If you are unable to finish the poll in a single session, you may save your progress and finish at a later time.

Once the survey closes, the participation rate will be considered to help determine whether the results can be viewed as representative of the pilot group. Participation rate will also help determine the direction of future MEC Web survey efforts.

In short, if this effort is to succeed, your participation is vital. If you have already participated in the Web survey, thank you for your effort. If you have not, please spend just a few minutes of your time to provide the Delta MEC with your input.