Quantifying the Environmental Benefits of Activities that Promote a Stewardship Ethic and Effect Behavior Change in Chesapeake Bay Watershed Residents

STAC responded to a request from the CBP Communications and Education Subcommittee (CESC) to advise them in their efforts to quantify the benefits of a mass media campaign. On September 15, 2003, STAC convened a one day workshop for presentations by experts who have participated in efforts to quantify behavior changes, especially those affected as a result of a campaign of this scale, as well as experts who have conducted mass media campaigns resulting in behavior change. The purpose of the workshop was to provide recommendations for the types of information that need to be collected and the methodology for collecting, tracking and reporting that information in order to measure behavior change(s) effected as a result of the CESC mass media campaign and campaign methodology to effectively measure and to increase response rate/behavior change. Following the presentations, select members of CESC and STAC, and the presenters participated in facilitated discussions to reach consensus on recommendations and a plan of action for the following topics: campaign plans, target audience, expected response rate, tasks for completion and information that should be collected by the ad firm, quantifying benefits, and ways to encourage 'piggybacking' on the campaign by other organizations and outreach vehicles.