Step 9: Evaluate Progress and Impact

Step 9

How do you know if your campaign is working?
How can you get the word out about your results?
Step 9 Planning Worksheet and Resources

How do you know if your campaign is working?

Revisit the objectives that you outlined in Step 1 and think about the specific questions that you would like to answer about your campaign. This will help you select the best approach to collect the information that you need to evaluate your campaign’s impact. Some examples include:

Objectives and Evaluation

**Campaign Objectives and Evaluation**
Campaign Objectives	Evaluation Questions	Evaluation Methods
Reducing idling behaviour	How did the campaign affect the frequency and duration of idling at your target locations? At which locations was your campaign most effective at reducing vehicle idling? Which locations require a different approach to influence idling behaviour?	Repeat idling frequency and duration counts and observations conducted before the campaign in Step 3after campaign or after key stages of campaign. Compare the new data with the baseline data.
Examining target audiences’ knowledge, attitudes and opinions regarding idling	Was there any change in attitudes, perceptions and opinions of the target audience after the campaign? Did the knowledge of the target audience regarding the linkages between vehicle idling and climate change, air quality and health change after the campaign?	Repeat telephone surveys, focus groups or one-on-one interviews conducted in Step 3
Testing communication approaches	Which communication approaches were the most successful at reducing unnecessary idling?	Conduct focus groups to ascertain perspectives on different communication pieces. Track media pick-up – e.g. idling related articles in local and wider newspapers (will also assess reach of idling message). Analyze website visits (number of visits per each page, etc.).
Developing knowledge and expertise in idling behaviour change	What worked best in our campaign? Where can we improve for next time? What were our lessons learned?	Hold a team meeting /debrief – discuss what worked well, areas of concern, current information gaps, and how campaign can be improved. Document your lessons learned.

How can you get the word out about your results?

Sharing the results of your campaign will strengthen relationships with your partners, help other municipalities or agencies carrying out similar campaigns, show that your project is really making a difference, and generally increase awareness about vehicle idling. Activities to consider include:

Public media releases – send to local media groups, to share the results of your progress;
Report sharing – send your evaluation/campaign report to each of your campaign partners, other organizations and local businesses;
Internal communications – post your results and other idling tips on your workplace intranet site or other communication medium;
Website and social media updates – post your results on your organization website, or dedicated idling reduction website. Use social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) to get the message out about your success; and,
Presentations – give presentations about your results to interested community organizations, neighbouring municipalities, or at relevant conferences.

The following case studies illustrate before and after data collection for idlingreduction campaigns, and can help generate ideas as you work through Step 9 (Evaluate Progress and Impact) of your campaign.

Idling ReductionCampaigns in Mississauga and Greater Sudbury
Target Audience: General Publicat Schools and Public Locations
Evaluation Methods: Idling Frequency & Duration Observation, Telephone Survey
“Towards an Idle-Free Zone in the City of Mississauga” was launched to help Mississauga residents kick the idling habitin school zones and in the community at large. The City of Greater Sudbury initiative to reduce engin eidling also targeted schools, and the general public. Both cities included a strong evaluation component, with surveys and studies to measure the success of each major campaign initiative as well as the overallcampaign. The evaluation methods replicated the baseline measurements, in order to have before and after campaign data to compare:

Frequency/DurationCounts –Percentage of drivers who idled their vehicle engines and duration of idling. At schools, parents and bus drivers were observed at the end of the school day. For the general public, data was collected at identified idling hotspots in the community.
Telephone Surveys – The surveys gauged community awareness, knowledge, attitudes and self-reported participation in turning off vehicle engines. Approximately 150 surveys were completed for each of the baseline and follow-up calls.

Results – School Frequency/Duration Counts

Idling Frequency

Idling Duration

Mississauga – baseline

54%

~8 minutes

Mississauga – post campaign

29%

~3.5 minutes

Sudbury – baseline

50%

~4 minutes

Sudbury – post campaign

40%

~3 minutes

Results – MississaugaTelephone Survey

Pre-Campaign

Post-Campaign

% believing that idling causes unnecessary air pollution

90%

95%

% believing that turning vehicle off when parked is the right thing todo

90%

93%

% heard the phrase “Idle-Free Zone”

34%

57%

% seen, heard, or read about the campaign

69%

Other information obtained from the survey was that those who were exposed to the campaign:

Said they will idle less (approximately 3 to 4 times less than those who have not been exposed);
Reported idling for a fraction of the time (just over 1 minute compared to almost 4 minutes for those who have not been exposed); and
Are much more likely to change their idling behaviour (57% said that the campaign will have a strong or moderate impact on their idling in the future).

Find out more about the Mississauga program on Idle Free Mississauga and about the Sudbury program on the Greater Sudbury municipal website

Step 9 Planning Worksheet and Resources

Step 9 Evaluation Planning Worksheet [PDF 14 KB] [DOC 28 KB]

Idling Reduction Campaign – Step 9

Evaluation Planning Worksheet

Campaign Objective

Evaluation Question

Data Required

Evaluation Method

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Date modified:: 2016-01-21

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