Survey data in action
How New Britain turned youth survey results into a public service announcement
New Britain Youth Prevention took its Youth Voices Count findings on how young people get substances and shared them with the community in a short video.
A survey report can sit on a shelf, or it can start a conversation. New Britain Youth Prevention chose the second option.
The coalition used its Youth Voices Count Survey results on how easily young people can get substances, including prescription opioids, as the basis for a short public service announcement. Instead of a long presentation, residents got a quick, clear message built on what local students had reported.
Why it works
The video keeps the focus on a single issue, youth access, and on what adults can do about it. The numbers behind it come from New Britain students themselves, which makes the message hard to dismiss as something that happens somewhere else.
It is also easy to reuse. A short video can run on social media, play before a community meeting and be shared by schools and partners at no extra cost.
Data that leaves the report
We see this as one of the best uses of survey results. The goal of a youth survey is not the report itself. It is what a community does once it knows what its young people are facing.
If your coalition has results you would like to share more widely, we are happy to help you pick the findings that will land with your audience.
What other communities can take from it
- Pick one finding people can act on, rather than trying to share the whole report.
- Use your own local numbers. Residents pay more attention to data about their own town.
- Keep it short enough to share on social media and play at community events.
- Point viewers to one simple action, such as locking up medicine at home.
About B. Weyland Smith Consulting
B. Weyland Smith Consulting, LLC is a public health consulting team based in Wethersfield, Connecticut. It provides program evaluation, needs assessment, survey services and grant preparation for school districts, prevention coalitions, health departments, behavioral health providers, towns and nonprofits, and runs the Youth Voices Count Survey and the Sound Perspectives school climate assessment. Learn more at bwsmithconsulting.com.