Demographic Data Collection (REG)
As recipients of federal funding, Arizona Cooperative Extension is responsible for the collection of demographic information - race, ethnicity, and gender (REG) - from those participating in programs or activities conducted by us. The following will assist you with understanding what data must be collected, how to collect the data, and how to report such data.
Our federal agency, USDA-NIFA, regulates the collection of this data and requires us to collect this demographic information only for PROGRAM ACTIVITIES. A program activity is defined as an activity where the purpose is to provide an educational benefit.
We do not collect REG data for OUTREACH ACTIVITIES. Those are defined as activities where the purpose is to advertise or raise awareness about programs. An example they give is providing information about events and programming at a farmer’s market. That would be considered outreach and the collection of REG data is not required. However, for outreach activities, personnel should document the nature of the outreach activity, target audience, and the approximate number of individuals reached.
The demographic information to be collected is the race, ethnicity, and gender, also called ("REG") data of each of our participants. This REG data should only be used to help Extension analyze and improve ways in providing our services and benefits to clientele. The information cannot be used to determine eligibility, and can never be used to determine which services will be provided, or the manner in which they will be provided.
HOW TO REPORT
For many, reporting REG collection is done via the AAP-5 form. There are physical forms to print as well as electronically within the UA Vitae system. For those utilizing Quickbase to manage their events and registrations, that data is already collected in the Quickbase system.
WHAT'S REQUIRED TO COLLECT
The following is what is required to have on REG forms:
| RACE | ETHNICITY | GENDER |
|---|---|---|
American Indian or Alaska Native Asian Black or African American Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander White Two or more races Prefer not to answer | Hispanic or Latino Not Hispanic or Latino Prefer not to answer | Male Female Other Prefer not to answer |
CAN MORE DATA BE COLLECTED?
Yes, you can solicit additional information on the form, but you cannot collect the REG information in any other manner. Some programs and funding agencies are required to collect ages, or salary brackets, or urban vs. rural, etc. These are fine to solicit in addition to REG, but they are not used for our federal/state reporting. That information would only be used for programmatic reporting.