survey research busn 364 – week 12 Özge can. survey research asks a large number of people...
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Survey Research
Asks a large number of people (respondents) the same questions about their beliefs, opinions, characteristics and past and present behaviors Standard questionnaire forms Self-reported beliefs and behaviors Produce information that is statistical in nature
=> quantitative Asks many questions at once, thereby measuring
many variables => one can test multiple hypotheses
Alternative explanations are statistically controlled
What Is Asked in a Survey?
Behavior How frequently do you brush your
teeth? Attitudes/beliefs/opinions
What is the biggest problem facing the youth today?
Characteristics What is your age? Are you married or
not?
What Is Asked in a Survey?
Expectations Do you plan to buy a car in the next
12 months? Self-Classifications
Which social class would you put your family into?
Knowledge Who was elected as the city mayor in
the last election?
Principles of Good Question Writing Two key principles guide writing good survey
questions: Avoid any possible confusion Keep the respondent’s perspective in
mind
We want a survey to provide a valid and reliable measure: Respondents should easily understand the
question’s meaning as you intended (clear, relevant and meaningful) and answer completely and honestly
Principles of Good Question Writing1. Avoid jargon, slang, abbreviations or
acronyms When surveying general public, use the language of
popular culture
2. Avoid ambiguity, confusion and vagueness “What is your income?” “Do you jog regularly?”
3. Avoid emotional language and prestige bias
“What do you think about paying murderous terrorists who threaten to steal the freedom of peace-loving people?”
Principles of Good Question Writing
4. Avoid double-barreled questions “Does your employer offer pension and health
insurance benefits?”
5. Avoid leading questions “You don’t smoke, do you?”
6. Avoid questions beyond respondents’ capabilities
“How did you feel about your brother when you were 6 years-old?”
“How much was your electricty bill last year?”
Principles of Good Question Writing7. Avoid asking about distant future
intentions “Suppose 8-years later you become a manager, how
would you behave to your employees?”
8. Avoid double negatives “I ain’t got no job” “Do you agree or disagree that students should not
be required to take a comprehensive exam to graduate?”
9. Avoid overlapping or unbalanced response categories
Make response choices mutually exclusive, exhaustive and balanced.
Getting Honest Answers
Sensitive Topics => Illness and disability (mental health problems, cancer), illegal or deviant behavior (drug or alcohol use, law violations), financial status (income, debts, occupation) Threatens people’s presentation of themselves;
their positive image. We should particularly cautious about these questions and the results. To increase honest answering:
1. Create comfort and trust2. Use enhanced phrasing3. Establish a desensitizing context4. Use anonymous questioning methods
Getting Honest Answers
Social Desirability Bias => occurs when respondents distort answers to conform to popular social norms. They give a socially acceptable answer rather than an honest answer Ex: people tend to overstate being highly cultured,
being outgoing and fun, giving money to charity, having a good marriage, loving their children
One way to reduce it: phrase questions in ways that make norm violation appear less objectifiable and give respondents “face-saving” alternatives
Open-Ended vs. Close-Ended Questions
I. Open-ended question: A type of survey inquiry that allows
respondents freedom to offer any answer they wish to the question
II. Close-ended question: A type of survey inquiry in which respondents
must choose from a fixed set of answers
Partially open questions => a set of fixed choices with a final open choice of “other”
Valid Responses
Three types of answers from respondents yield invalid responses: Swayed opinion => falsely overstating a position False positive => selecting an attitude position
but lacking any knowledge on the issue False negative => respondent refuses to answer
the question when he/she actually has information or an opinion
Neutral positions: Should we offer respondents who lack knowledge or have no position a neutral or “no opinion” choice?
Valid Responses
Response Set (Reponse Bias) => tendency of respondents to agree with every question in a series rather than carefully thinking through one’s answer to each
To avoid it: include different question types; change the sequence of response categories
Valid Responses
To get valid responses: Choose the appropriate response style for the
question: agreement scales, rankings or ratings?
Present the alternatives fairly Attach numbers to a response scale to assist
respondents and give them a clue for understanding
Use visual presentations, colors, symbols and pictures
Appropriate question format and questionnaire design
Questionnaire Design Issues
Length of survey or questionnaire No absolute proper length; it depends on the survey
format (e.g. mail, internet) and respondent characteristics
Short questionnaires are appropriate for the general population
Question order and sequence You should sequence questions to minimize
respondent discomfort and confusion After an introduction explaining the survey, make
opening questions easy to answer and pleasent. Order effect => answers to earlier questions can
influence later ones
Questionnaire Design Issues
Layout and format Questionnaire layout => Appearence of the
questionnaire form should be clear, neat and easy to follow; sheets, fonts, envelope, cover letter...
Question format => Should respondents circle responses, check boxes, fill in dots or write in a blank?
Nonresponse The failure to get a valid response from every
sampled respondent = nonresponse bias Can be a major problem if a high proportion of the
sample does not respond; lowers generalizability
Ways to Increase Response Rate
• Address to specific individual• Include a cover letter
– Request cooperation– Guarantee confidentiality– Explain purpose– Provide researcher contact information
• Include postage-paid, addressed return envelope
• Easy to follow questionnaire• Send follow-up reminders• Avoid conducting study during busy holidays• Back page for general comments• Advertise legitimate sponsors (university, gov’t
agency, etc.)• Small monetary incentives
Types of Surveys
Features to consider when choosing a particular survey type: Administrative issues => response rate,
cost, speed, length Researcher control on questions =>
explaining the questions, flexible formats Success with different questions =>
open-ended questions, complex or sensitive questions
Sources of bias => social desirability, interviwer bias, respondent’s reading skills
Constructing a Survey – Some Resources
Many links for carrying out survey research:
http://managementhelp.org/businessresearch/surveys.htm
Information on designing surveys:http://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentoring/project_id
eas/Soc_survey.shtml
Online survey websites: SurveyMonkey (www.surveymonkey.com) PsychSurveys (www.psychsurveys.org)
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