Annual Strategic Research Plan

The County believes that understanding what’s working (and what’s not) is key to providing the best services possible. Evaluating our work helps us make informed choices and manage our resources to serve you better.

Our evaluation plan is reviewed and updated every year. It is then outlined in the Annual Strategic Research Plan (ASRP). It includes questions that we want to answer through research in the upcoming years. The ASRP is a roadmap on how to evaluate what the County does and how well we are meeting our goals. It is important to note that the ASRP does not necessarily cover all research that is going on across the County.

Example questions from the current ASRP:

1. How can the County use alternatives to incarceration approaches to reduce the number of people involved in the justice system?
2. What climate action measures and decarbonization strategies will produce the most return on investment for greenhouse gas reductions, improved air quality, green jobs and increased equity?
3. To what extent is increased investment in prevention services impacting the rate of child abuse and neglect?

The plan will help us focus on the highest priority questions to make the County work more effectively and efficiently. It will also make our decisions more transparent and show how we use data to make choices. The ASRP is part of a bigger project to encourage using data and evidence in all County departments.

Together, these efforts will help us build a culture of learning and improvement, so we can offer better services and create better policies to improve the lives of people in San Diego.

The Office of Evaluation, Performance, and Analytics (OEPA) is working with departments to update the ASRP. OEPA will make sure that the ASRP reflects the priorities of the Board of Supervisors and includes feedback from the public.

As we develop the next ASRP, we also want to make sure to hear from you: What is most important to you about what the County evaluates? How can we best keep you updated about the research and evaluation we are doing?

Get involved!

We invite you to take a survey about the County's research and evaluation! We want to hear from you about:

1. The best ways we can update you about the ASRP and the County’s research
2. County programs and policy topics that you think we should focus our research on
3. Your opinion on how and why the County should conduct research

Your responses, combined with other key factors, help shape the County's research priorities, and will be captured in the Annual Strategic Research Plan.

Who can participate?

• Residents of San Diego County
• Academics and researchers
• County of San Diego employees

How to participate

• Review the information on this page
• Share the information with others
• Provide input through the tools on this page (See survey below)
• Ask questions