SURVEY RESEARCH DESIGN

Nicole Songco
February 4, 2011

The Survey
⋅ The primary means by which empirical data on social life and social relations
are gathered
⋅ Used as a means of systematically describing an individual’s views, opinions,
attitudes and, sometimes, behaviour
⋅ Use statistical groups that are independent of things (it doesn’t really matter
where the form is filled out
⋅ Especially strong on representativeness (the ability to evaluate large
populations using relatively small samples)
⋅ Are usually descriptive or causal
⋅ Can be used to collect data that explore, describe, or explain some social
phenomena

Survey as Design
⋅ Should not be considered any less scientific than the experiment
⋅ Used to obtain a considerable amount of information which can be
generalized to an entire population

Time Frames:
1. Cross-sectional Survey/ Studies
⋅ The earliest and still the most commonly used design in survey
research involves the collection of standardized information from or
about a sample chosen to represent the component unit of a pre-
defined universe
⋅ Data are collected from a chosen sample at a single point in time
⋅ A single, unrepeated survey that produces prompt results and can be
completed in a relatively shorter time
a. Marginal tabulations
b. Time-bound association
c. Time-ordered association

2. Longitudinal Studies
⋅ Used to measure events over a span of time
⋅ Data are collected at several points in time during the survey period
⋅ Provide the researcher with data that can be analyzed in terms of
change
a. Trend studies
⋅ Primarily useful in describing changes over shorter or
longer periods of time
⋅ Permits the researcher to view changes or developing
trends that can occur within a given population

b. Panel studies
 ⋅A specific type of trend study that calls for interviewing
the same subjects at two or more points in a time
⋅ The primary advantage of this type of study is that it
allows for the investigation of turnover (amount, direction,
and timing of the shifts in opinion or behavior)
c. Cohort analysis
⋅ Cohort – a groups of people who share some common
characteristics
⋅ A method of analyzing the experiences of cohorts
throughout their lives for some specific period of time
⋅ A very good method for exposing long-term trends
⋅ Frequently used in demographic research

Survey as Instrument
1. Self-administered questionnaires
⋅ Given to the respondents with the assumption that each respondent
can read the questions and has the knowledge and interest to answer
them
2. Mailed questionnaires
⋅ Extensively used in social science research because they are capable
of reaching sample respondents living in widely dispersed geographic
areas at relatively low costs
3. Face-to-face interviews
⋅ A researcher (or research assistant) contacts respondents personally to
answer the research questions
4. Telephone interviews
⋅ An alternative to the face-to-face interview should include only brief,
simple questions, fewer than the direct interview schedule, and far
fewer than the self-administered questionnaire

**** Examples and notations will be reported orally

References:
Allen, D.A. (1981). Social Research Methods: Puzzles and Methods. Boston: Allyn and Bacon,
Inc.
Freeman, H.E., Sherwood, C.C. (1970). Social Research and Social Policy. New Jersey:
Prentice Hall Inc.
Glock, C. (1967). Survey Research in the Social Sciences. New York: Russel Sage Foundation.
Judd, C.M., Kidde, L.H., Smith, E.R. (1986). Research Methods in Social Science. New York:
Holt Reinhart and Winston
Parvar, M. (ed.) (2004). Data Collecting Methods and Experiences; A Guide for Social
Researchers. India:
New Dawn Press Inc.