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SOM612 - 5 - Survey Research
SOM612 - 5 - Survey Research
Survey Research
Survey Research
Sample Survey
A survey that emphasizes contacting respondents
who are a sample of the target population.
S
Survey research
h can address
dd iissues:
Identifying characteristics of target markets
Measuring consumer attitudes/ employees
satisfaction
i f i
Identifying information regarding activities that could
make the company more “green”
Systematic Error
Error resulting from some imperfect aspect of the research
d i that
design h causes respondent
d error or ffrom a mistake
i k iin the
h
execution of the research.
Categories of Survey Errors
I do not want
to participate.
No
problem, it
is ok.
Th k
Thanks…..
Respondent Error Helmet of what
colour you
(Response Bias) normally wear at
work?
Green (he is
actually
wearing yellow
helmet)
Next
question…..
Respondent Error
Non-respondents
People who are not contacted or who refuse to cooperate
in the research.
No contacts: people who are not at home or who are
otherwise inaccessible on the first and second contact.
Refusals: People who are unwilling to participate in a
research project.
Average-person hypothesis:
Individuals mayy p
prefer to be viewed as average,
g ,
so they alter their responses to conform more
closely to their perception of the average
person.
Response Bias
U
Unconscious
i Mi
Misrepresentation
t ti
When a respondent is consciously trying to be
truthful and cooperative, response bias can arise
from the question format, the question content, or
some other stimulus that affects their response to a
question.
Acquiescence Bias
A tendencyy to agree
g with all or most q
questions.
Extremity Bias
The tendency
Th d off some IIndividuals
di id l to use extremes when
h
responding to questions.
Interviewer Bias
The presence of the interviewer influences respondents’
answers.
Types of Response Bias
Social Desirabilityy Bias
Bias in responses caused by respondents’ desire, either conscious or
unconscious, to gain prestige or appear in a different social role.
Oh never.(has
never (has
a cigarette
pack in his
back pocket)
Administrative Error
An error caused by the improper administration or
execution of the research task.
Interviewer
te v ewe e error:
o : mistakes
sta es made
ade by interviewers
te v ewe s
failing to record survey responses correctly.
IInterviewer
t i cheating:
h ti filli in
filling i fake
f k answers or
falsifying questionnaires by an interviewer.
Classifying Survey Research Methods
Structured/Unstructured Questionnaires
Structured question: imposes a limit on the
number of allowable responses.
responses
Unstructured question: does not restrict
respondents’
p answers.
Disguised/Undisguised Questionnaires
Undisguised questions: assume the respondent
is willing to answer.
Disguised questions: assume the purpose of
the study is hidden from the respondent.
Based on time
Interactive Approaches: Door to Door
Interviews
Personal interviews conducted at respondents’
doorsteps in an effort to increase the participation
rate in the survey.
survey
Characteristics:
• D
Degree off iinterviewer
t i
• Speed of data collection:
influence of answer: high
moderate to fast
• Geographical flexibility: limited • Anonymity of respondent:
to moderate low
• Respondent cooperation: • Ease of call back or follow-
excellent up: moderate
• Questionnaire length: long • C
Cost:
t high
highestt d
due tto ttravell
• Item non-response: low costs
• Possibility of respondent • Special features: visual
misunderstanding: lowest materials may be shown or
demonstrated; extended
probing possible
Telephone Interviews
Telephone Interviews
Personal interviews conducted by telephone.
The mainstay of commercial survey research.
“No-call” legislation has limited this capacity.
Ch
Characteristics:
t i ti
• Speed of data collection: very • Anonymity of respondent:
fast moderate
• Geographical flexibility: high • Ease of call back or follow-up:
• Respondent cooperation: good easy
• Questionnaire length: moderate • Cost: low to moderate
• Item non-response: medium • Special features: fieldwork and
supervision of data collection are
• Possibility of respondent
simplified; quite adaptable to
misunderstanding: average
computer technology
• Degree of interviewer influence
of answer: moderate
Self-Administered Approaches Can Use Either Printed
or Electronic Medium
Response rate
Cover letter
Moneyy helps
p
Follow-ups
Advance notification
Survey sponsorship
Other techniques
Promotion
E-Mail Surveys
Surveys distributed through electronic mail.
Advantages
Speed of distribution
Lower distribution and processing costs
Faster turnaround time
More flexibility
Less handling of paper questionnaires
Disadvantages
Limited interaction
Device with e-mail facility needed
Respondent
p knowledge
g
Internet Survey Characteristics
Speed
p and cost Callbacks
effectiveness Personalized and flexible
Visual appeal and questioning
interactivity Respondent anonymity
Respondent participation Response rates
and cooperation
S
Security
it concerns
Representative samples
Accurate real-time data
capture
Selecting the Appropriate Survey Approach
Questions to be answered:
Is the assistance of an interviewer necessary?
Are respondents interested in the issues being
investigated?
Will cooperation be easily attained?
How quickly is the information needed?
Will the study require a long and complex
questionnaire?
How large is the budget?
Pretesting Survey Instruments
Pretesting
Screening procedure that involves a trial run with a
group of respondents to iron out fundamental
problems in the survey design.