title: Using tax parcels to select a location-based sample: an illustration that examines residents' awareness of sex offenders in neighborhoods.
abstract: Social science research is increasingly considering place when examining social programs and policies with a spatial component. A specific research challenge involving spatial policies is how to select a sample of individuals based on their geographic locations. This article illustrates the use of geographic information systems, tax parcels, and mail surveys to target residents in varied geographic areas. A provided example demonstrates how researchers obtained a sample of respondents living within one tenth of a mile of multiple registered sex offenders. The challenges of using tax parcels to obtain addresses for apartments and mobile home parks are also explored.
authors.affiliation: College of Social Work, University of Tennessee, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Craun
authors.forename: Bridget
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Freisthler
mesh_terms: D001364:Awareness; D003625:Data Collection; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D011640:Public Policy; D012107:Research Design; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012742:Sex Offenses; D015144:Southeastern United States; D013660:Taxes