The Beeck Center is conducting a U.S. Public Interest Technology Workforce Survey to help us understand how best to support the individuals who make up this growing field. We want to ensure that we’re considering the perspectives and experiences of the people who are doing this work. To do this right, we hope to document and learn from those who currently make up the field and have forged some of the career development models and resources that exist today. Based on the results, our plan is to publish a demographics report of the trends and opportunities from the survey, as well as follow up with individuals to have more in-depth conversations. This will help us identify how to institutionalize career support resources like professional development opportunities, mentorship models, and training curriculum that are specifically designed for public interest technology professionals.

We define public interest technology in the broadest sense of the phrase: studying, applying and/or leveraging data, design, technology, and innovation in service of the public interest. We recognize that this work has taken place for many years and consider similar terminology such as civic technology or digital government to fit within this field as well. Anyone who identifies as working in this field is encouraged to participate in this survey, including practitioners, students, volunteers, and researchers.

To ensure that your experience is accounted for in this work, we hope you will please fill out the survey and share with any others who we should also hear from. The questions ask about individual and organizational demographic information and details about your work experience. It should take about 10 minutes to complete and participation in this survey is completely voluntary. Your responses will remain confidential, anonymous, and all results will be compiled only in the aggregate.

Once you’ve completed the survey, we would appreciate it if you would please share it with your networks and those who have inspired your career in public interest technology to ensure that we are learning from their unique experiences as well. This survey will close at 11:59PM EST on Dec.4, 2020.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at beeckcenter@georgetown.edu.

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FAQ

How does the Beeck Center define Public Interest Technology?

The Beeck Center defines public interest technology in the broadest sense of the term, i.e. studying, applying and/or leveraging data, design, technology, and innovation in service of the public interest. We acknowledge that this work has been occurring for multiple decades now under many different banners: Civic Technology, Digital Government, and now Public Interest Technology. As the opportunities and bounds of this field continue to be defined, we believe that it is important to bring in as many people to the conversation as possible. We know that this work cannot and will not be defined by a single voice. Thus, we include individuals across a wide range of experiences and skill-sets into our understanding of the field.

As New America’s Public Interest Technology University Network defines it, the field “can—and should—include people who may not identify as technologists but are at the forefront of equalizing access to technology and promoting inclusive tech policy, such as those working in the ecosystems of access, open source and creative commons, digital literacy, inclusive design, movement and activist tech, community tech, and digital privacy and security.”

Can students be a part of this survey?

Absolutely. We believe students are at the forefront of this work and that their experiences and identities must be accounted for as we continue to build the field.

Are volunteers a part of this survey?

Yes. Since the Beeck Center is dedicated to comprehensively supporting all individuals who make up the public interest technology field, we encourage responses from anyone with experience in this field including volunteers and other professionals alike.

I don’t work in the U.S. Public Interest Technology field. Should I still fill out this form?

We are only considering responses from those who identify as part of the U.S. Public Interest Technology field. However, we encourage you to share this form with others you may know working in the field for them to voice their experiences.

How is my personal information going to be used and stored?

If you choose to share your personal information with us, we may request you to provide us with your name, email address, job title, employer, details about your professional background and skills, and additional demographic information. Your survey responses will be kept confidential and anonymous. The data will be stored securely and we will actively protect your information; however we will use this information to share aggregate statistics on who represents the field today and in what capacities. Additionally, if you opt -in, we may use this information to contact you as part of our efforts to understand how to create a more inclusive work environment for the public interest technology field. To ensure consensual and ethical data use, we adhere to the data privacy policy and principles of Georgetown University.

Can I get access to the raw data?

If you or your organization is interested in accessing an anonymized version of this data, please send us an email at beeckcenter@georgetown.edu.