Consent Form for #2020-0003

THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

Hunter College

Sociology Department

ORAL AND INTERNET-BASED INFORMED CONSENT SCRIPT

Title of Research Study: How We Become New Yorkers

Principal Investigator: Joong-Hwan Oh, Ph.D.

Professor

You have been invited to take part in a research study to learn more about one of your past memorable urban experiences that has greatly affected your current perceptions, attitudes, and modes of behavior during your regular appearance at a public space in New York City. The term “a public space” means any location of New York City, such as a street, a sidewalk, a subway train car, a bus, a park, a bar, a store, other public setting, and so forth. This study will be conducted by Professor Joong-Hwan Oh from the Department of Sociology at Hunter College of The City University of New York.

The main purpose of this research study is to prove the point that one’s past memorable experience on a public space in New York City helps to maintain his or her everyday urban routine, as well as to cope with any public disorder likely or accidentally to occur.

By and large, this research study will provide a better understanding of why mostly unknown people in the crowded New York City public places maintain urban civility or public social order to one another. Participants in this online survey will take 30-45 minutes to complete the mostly open-ended questions (e.g., your unique experience in a public place of New York City, such as an encounter, event, or an incident with unknown persons) and some basic demographic questions (i.e., gender, ethnicity, education, employment, and so on). During your survey responses, you need to keep in mind that you shouldn’t write your name or your other personal information.

Although there is no anticipated risk or discomfort to your participation, you can choose whether to be part of this study or not. If you volunteer to be in this study, you may withdraw at any time without consequences of any kind. You also have the right to skip or not answer any questions you prefer not to answer.

Per CUNY policies, all electronic data is password protected and encrypted. Thus, confidentiality of your research records will be strictly maintained without any identifiers or codes so that data is never directly linked to individual identities. Although you will send your online responses through "Qualtrics" known as one of online survey platforms, your IP address is not collected by turning it off in Qualtrics after downloading your responses in spreadsheets. Thus, all collected responses will be kept confidential in the event that I attempt to publish the findings in a book. After analyzing data, a summary of the research findings is made available only to those participants who request it. Besides, the data will be retained for approximately three years after this study has been completed and then destroyed, thereafter.

If there is anything about the study or your participation that is unclear or that you do not understand, or if you have questions or wish to report a research-related problem, you may contact Joong-Hwan Oh at (212)-772-5588, joonghwan.oh@hunter.cuny.edu, 695 Park Avenue, 16th Floor. For questions about your rights as a research participant, you may contact CUNY Research Compliance Administrator at 646-664-8918 or HRPP@cuny.edu. Please reference the study # 2020-0003 when contacting the HRPP.