essentials of marketing research chapter 7: survey research

Essentials of Marketing Research

Chapter 7:

Survey Research

SURVEYSSURVEYS

SURVEYS ASK RESPONDENTS FOR INFORMATION USING VERBAL OR WRITTEN QUESTIONING

RESPONDENTS = A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF PEOPLE

Advantages of Surveys

• Standardization• Ease of Administration• Ability to tap the “unseen”• Suitability for statistical analysis• Sensitivity to subgroup differences• Quick, Inexpensive• Efficient, Accurate• Flexible

PROBLEMSPROBLEMS

• POOR DESIGN

• IMPROPER EXECUTION

• Research Manager’s Task =

Total Error Minimization

Total Error

Systematic Error (bias)

Random SamplingError

Tree Diagram of Total Survey ErrorTree Diagram of Total Survey Error

RANDOM SAMPLING ERRORRANDOM SAMPLING ERROR

A STATISTICAL FLUCTUATION THAT OCCURS BECAUSE OF CHANCE VARIATION IN THE ELEMENTS SELECTED FOR THE SAMPLE

SYSTEMATIC ERRORSYSTEMATIC ERROR

SYSTEMATIC ERROR RESULTS FROM SOME IMPERFECT ASPECT OF THE RESEARCH DESIGN OR FROM A MISTAKE IN THE EXECUTION OF THE RESEARCH

Systematic Error (bias)or

Non-sampling bias

AdministrativeError

RespondentError

Tree Diagram of Total Survey ErrorTree Diagram of Total Survey Error

SAMPLE BIASSAMPLE BIAS

SAMPLE BIAS - WHEN THE RESULTS OF A SAMPLE SHOW A PERSISTENT TENDENCY TO DEVIATE IN ONE DIRECTION FROM THE TRUE VALUE OF THE POPULATION PARAMETER

RespondentError

Non-responseError

ResponseBias

Tree Diagram of Total Survey ErrorTree Diagram of Total Survey Error

RESPONDENT ERRORRESPONDENT ERROR

A CLASSIFICATION OF SAMPLE BIAS RESULTING FROM SOME RESPONDENT ACTION OR INACTION

• NONRESPONSE BIAS

• RESPONSE BIAS

NONRESPONSE ERRORNONRESPONSE ERROR

• NONRESPONDENTS - PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO COOPERATE

• NOT-AT-HOMES

• SELF-SELECTION BIAS• OVER REPRESENTS EXTREME POSITIONS

• UNDER REPRESENTED INDIFFERENT

ResponseBias

UnconsciousMisrepresentation

DeliberateFalsification

Tree Diagram of Total Survey ErrorTree Diagram of Total Survey Error

RESPONSE BIASRESPONSE BIAS

A BIAS THAT OCCURS WHEN RESPONDENTS TEND TO ANSWER QUESTIONS WITH A CERTAIN SLANT THAT CONSCIOUSLY OR UNCONSCIOUSLY MISREPRESENT THE TRUTH

Acquiescence bias (agree with all Qs)

Extremity bias (always extreme response)

Interviewer bias (interviewer presence)

Auspices bias (halo affect)

Social desirability bias

Tree Diagram of Total Survey ErrorTree Diagram of Total Survey Error

Systematic Error (bias)

AdministrativeError

RespondentError

Tree Diagram of Total Survey ErrorTree Diagram of Total Survey Error

ADMINISTRATIVE ERRORADMINISTRATIVE ERROR

• IMPROPER ADMINISTRATION OF THE RESEARCH TASK

• BLUNDERS• CONFUSION

• NEGLECT

• OMISSION

Data Processing Error

Sample Selection Error

Interviewer Error

Interviewer Cheating

Tree Diagram of Total Survey ErrorTree Diagram of Total Survey Error

COMMUNICATING WITH COMMUNICATING WITH RESPONDENTSRESPONDENTS

• PERSONAL INTERVIEWS• DOOR-TO-DOOR

• SHOPPING MALL INTERCEPTS

• TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS

• SELF-ADMINISTERED QUESTIONNAIRES

PERSONAL INTERVIEWSPERSONAL INTERVIEWS

Speed of Data Collection Moderate to fast

Geographical Flexibility Limited to moderate

Respondent Cooperation Excellent

Versatility of Questioning Quite versatile

Door-to-Door Personal InterviewDoor-to-Door Personal Interview

Questionnaire Length Long

Item Non-response Low

Possibility of Respondent LowestMisunderstanding

Degree of Interviewer HighInfluence of Answer

Supervision of Interviewers Moderate

Door-to-Door Personal InterviewDoor-to-Door Personal Interview

Anonymity of Respondent Low

Ease of Call Back or Follow-up Difficult

Cost Highest

Special Features Visual materials may beshown or demonstrated;extended probing possible

Door-to-Door Personal InterviewDoor-to-Door Personal Interview

Speed of Data Collection Fast

Geographical Flexibility Confined, urban bias

Respondent Cooperation Moderate to low

Versatility of Questioning Extremely versatile

Questionnaire Length Moderate to Long

Mall Intercept Personal InterviewMall Intercept Personal Interview

Item Non-response Medium

Possibility of Respondent LowestMisunderstanding

Degree of Interviewer HighestInfluence of Answers

Supervision of Interviewers Moderate to high

Mall Intercept Personal InterviewMall Intercept Personal Interview

Anonymity of Respondent Low

Ease of Call Back or DifficultFollow-up

Cost Moderate to high

Special Features Taste test, viewing of TV Commercials possible

Mall Intercept Personal InterviewMall Intercept Personal Interview

MAIL SURVEYSMAIL SURVEYS

Speed of Data Collection Researcher has no controlover return of questionnaire; slow

Geographical Flexibility High

Respondent Cooperation Moderate--poorly designedquestionnaire will have low

response rate

Versatility of Questioning Highly standardized format

MAIL SURVEYSMAIL SURVEYS

Questionnaire Length Varies depending on incentive

Item Non-response High

Possibility of Respondent Highest--no interviewerMisunderstanding present for clarification

Degree of Interviewer None--interviewer absentInfluence of Answer

Supervision of Interviewers Not applicable

MAIL SURVEYSMAIL SURVEYS

Anonymity of Respondent High

Ease of Call Back or Follow-up Easy, but takes time

Cost Lowest

MAIL SURVEYSMAIL SURVEYS

• Write a “Sales Oriented” Cover Letter• Money Helps• - As a token of appreciation• - For a charity• Stimulate Respondents’ Interest with Interesting Questions• Follow Up• Keying questionnaires with codes• Advanced Notification• Sponsorship by a Well-known and Prestigious Institution

How to Increase Response Rates for How to Increase Response Rates for Mail SurveysMail Surveys

Ways to Increase Mail Survey Response

• Foot-in-the-door• Personalization• Anonymity• Response deadline• Incentives

• Length of survey• Survey size,

reproduction and color• Type of postage

– outgoing

– return envelopes

SELF-ADMINISTERED SELF-ADMINISTERED QUESTIONNAIRESQUESTIONNAIRES

• MAIL

• PLACE OF BUSINESS

• DROP-OFF

• COMPUTERIZED

• E-MAIL

• INTERNET

• OTHER VARIATIONS

Telephone SurveysTelephone Surveys

Speed of Data Collection Very fast

Geographical Flexibility High

Respondent Cooperation Good

Versatility of Questioning Moderate

Telephone SurveysTelephone Surveys

Questionnaire Length ModerateItem Non-response MediumPossibility of Respondent Average MisunderstandingDegree of Interviewer Moderate Influence on AnswerSupervision of Interviewers High, especially

with central locationWATS interviewing

WATS: Wide-Area Telecommunications Service

Telephone SurveysTelephone Surveys

Anonymity of Respondent Moderate

Ease of Call Back or Follow-up Easy

Cost Low to moderate

Special Features Fieldwork and supervisionof data collection aresimplified; quite adaptableto computer technology

Telephone SurveysTelephone Surveys

TIME PERIOD FOR SURVEYSTIME PERIOD FOR SURVEYS

• CROSS-SECTIONAL

• LONGITUDINAL

Comparison Of Data Collection Methods

Personal Telephone Mail

Data collection costs High Medium Low

Data collection time Medium Low High

Sample size for givenbudget

Small Medium Large

Data quantity perrespondent

High Medium Low

Reaches widelydispersed sample

No Maybe Yes

Reaches speciallocations

Yes Maybe No

Comparison Of Data Collection Methods

Personal Telephone MailInteraction withrespondents

Yes Yes No

Degree ofinterviewer bias

High Medium None

Severity ofnonresponse bias

Low Low High

Presentation ofvisual stimuli

Yes No Maybe

Fieldworkertraining required

Yes Yes No

Factors Determining Choice of Survey Method

• Researcher’s Resources and Objectives– Time horizon– Budget– Desired quality of data collected

• Generalizability vs. Completeness

Factors Determining Choice of Survey Method

• Respondent Characteristics– Incidence rate (% in target population)– Willingness to participate (suspicion, privacy,

interest)– Ability to participate (time, qualified)– Diversity of respondents (problems with

selection or response probabilities)

Factors Determining Choice of Survey Method

• Question Characteristics– Complexity of tasks (or props needed)– Amount of information per respondent (and

type of information needed)– Topic sensitivity (e.g., hygiene, charity

contributions, illicit behaviors)

Potential Survey Topics

• Attitudes– attitude comes before behavior– three parts:

• what a person knows about a topic– awareness (aided and unaided recall)

• how a person feels about a topic– positive/negative and intensity of feeling

• likelihood the person will take action based on the attitude

– past, present and future behavior

Potential Survey Topics

• Image– ask what characteristics are most important to

the subject– comparison across groups to reveal differences

• Decisions– What was the process used to make the decision?– What information sources were used?– What criteria was used for evaluation?

Potential Survey Topics

• Needs (or Wants)– Needs, desires or preferences– Find out relative importance of needs.

• Behavior– what respondents did or did not do– the timing of the behavior– the persistency of the behavior

Potential Survey Topics

• Lifestyles– lifestyle patterns identified by activities,

interests, opinions and possessions of the respondents

• Affiliations– family groups– reference groups

Potential Survey Topics

• Demographics– Variables such as age, gender, income, marital

status, education, employment, etc.– demographic groups often differ significantly

on issues– demographics can be used to identify market

segments

Survey Trends

• Over sampling of some populations

• Privacy issues

• New Technology– fax– e-mail– internet– virtual reality