Public Education Campaign That Isn't Reaching the People Who Need It
A PSAP's public education program distributes 9-1-1 awareness materials through schools and libraries and posts on social media. After a year, the PSAP reviews data: calls from the two lowest-income ZIP codes in its service area show a high rate of non-emergency 9-1-1 use and a high rate of hang-ups, and those ZIP codes also have the lowest rate of participation in the PSAP's text-to-9-1-1 awareness efforts. The materials are printed in English and Spanish, but 19% of households in those ZIP codes speak a language other than English or Spanish at home. The community relations coordinator proposes doubling the social media budget and printing more English/Spanish brochures. The director asks whether that is the right use of limited funds.
1. Evaluate the coordinator's proposal against the data. What is the core problem the campaign has?
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The proposal doubles down on channels and languages that the data suggest are not reaching the target population:
- Channel mismatch. Social media and school/library distribution assume digital access and institutional contact. The high hang-up and non-emergency rates in those ZIP codes suggest callers who may not know what 9-1-1 is for, or who may distrust or misunderstand it - not people who need more brochures.
- Language gap. 19% of households speak a language other than English or Spanish. English/Spanish materials structurally exclude a meaningful share of the target population.
- Engagement gap. Low text-to-9-1-1 awareness participation in exactly the ZIP codes with the highest need indicates the message is not landing.
The core problem is not message volume; it is reach and relevance. More of the same will produce the same result. The director should redirect funds toward community-based, trusted-messenger outreach in the target languages, and toward understanding why people call 9-1-1 for non-emergencies before designing the next message.
2. What would a better-designed, measurable campaign look like?
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A better campaign would be:
- Community-anchored. Partner with trusted local organizations (faith groups, community clinics, immigrant-serving organizations, tenant associations) rather than only schools and libraries.
- Language-appropriate. Identify the actual languages spoken in those ZIP codes and produce materials and in-person sessions in those languages, using interpreters or community members.
- Two-way. Hold listening sessions to learn why residents call 9-1-1 for non-emergencies and what they believe about the system; design messages around what you hear.
- Measured with the right metrics. Track non-emergency 9-1-1 call rate and hang-up rate by ZIP code, text-to-9-1-1 awareness participation, and reach by language - not brochure counts or social media impressions.
- Time-bound with a baseline. Set a baseline now, a target at 6 and 12 months, and a decision point to change tactics if the target is missed.
The judgment: public education is an outcome problem, not a production problem. The measure of success is changed caller behavior in the target population, not the number of materials distributed.