The Listener Group believes that there is a need for an objective way to measure the public's views on important public issues. They contacted UWF about developing a way to achieve this goal. UWF faculty agreed to help in creating a panel that is representative of the Escambia/Santa Rosa County area. Both parties agreed that the purpose of the panel would be two-fold:

1. To collect information on the public's opinions on important public issues. These issues could cover a variety of topics such as attitudes toward the local economy, environment, politics or education. The panel could be also be used to obtain a local perspective on important issues facing the nation.
2. To collect information for the purposes of academic research. UWF faculty are responsible for generating information that adds to the knowledge base of their disciplines. The household panel can be used to gather information on a variety of academic topics such as consumer knowledge of product labeling, worker's satisfaction with working conditions, purchasing over the Internet, public awareness of new laws and regulations, and so on.

Survey data that are collected on the public's opinion about local issues will be distributed to the media by UWF. It is expected that local television, radio and newspapers will carry the information. Survey data that are collected for the purpose of academic research will be reported in academic journals and books.