SURVEY METHOD

SHRUCHI SHANKER SAXENA

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS
ST ALOYSIUS COLLEGE
JABALPUR
 What is the survey method?
• The survey method is the practice of gathering
data for a study by asking people questions
related to your research. Typically, researchers
survey people who have particular knowledge,
insights or experiences related to the study.
Researchers create a formal list of questions
to ask the participants and may distribute it
one-on-one, online or in the mail.
• They can then use people's answers to
understand public perceptions about or
personal experiences with a particular item,
service or product. Some companies use
surveys when deciding on a new marketing
campaign or product feature so they can
understand how the public might react before
implementing a new advertising strategy.
Types of survey methods
• Focus groups
• Focus groups are one way to conduct an in-person survey.
The researcher typically gathers a small group of
demographically diverse people. A moderator from the
research team leads the focus group through a discussion
of a particular topic or an experience with a company's
new product. The typical purpose of a focus group is to
understand how people react to a particular item or
marketing campaign in a group setting.
• It's important to the researchers that the focus group
participants interact and discuss with one another, rather
than answering questions or addressing concerns
privately and individually. Researchers often reward
people to take part in a focus group by offering gift cards
or other compensation.
• One-on-one interviews
• Interviews are another in-person research
technique in which researchers ask people
questions one-on-one. Face-to-face interviews, or
household surveys, can be useful when a
researcher or business is interested in discussing
something personal with a particular demographic.
Some questions may require extensive discussion
or questioning, so having one-on-one interviews
may be the best option for gathering as much
information as possible. An interviewer may film or
record the interview, depending on the research
team's requirements.
• Telephone surveys
• Telephone surveys involve calling people and asking
them to answer questions over the phone. Many
telephone surveys contact people using a technique
called random-digit-dialing (RDD). Researchers can use
RDD to contact both listed and unlisted numbers,
which may help with sample accuracy by minimizing
contact bias. Another software program is interactive
voice response, or IVR, where customers submit
responses using prerecorded answers. By pushing a
number on their telephone keypad or providing a
verbal response, the interviewee can answer
questions. The research team records how many
people select particular numbers.
• Mail-in surveys
• Research teams send mail-in surveys directly
to potential respondents. This can be a cost-
effective way to gather data because it
involves minimum cost. Mail-in surveys can be
useful because of their ability to encourage
participants to respond, and because
researchers send the surveys to participants'
addresses and refer to participants by name,
mail-in surveys may seem like a personal
approach.
• Panel sampling
• In panel sampling, researchers select members of a
preassembled panel to take part in the survey. This is a
great way to guarantee responses since panel members
have already agreed to participate in the research. Since
you know particular information about the panel
members, you can ensure that all survey respondents
meet specific criteria and that you're reaching your
target audience.
• Panel surveys may be longitudinal, meaning that
participants answer questions over some time.
Sometimes, the interviewers ask the same question
several times in a longitudinal study to see if
respondents change their opinions throughout the study.
• Online surveys
• Online surveys are a great way for researchers to
contact a wide audience in several geographic
settings and of various age ranges. They also allow
the researcher to study a particular demographic or
target audience. Online surveys are an increasingly
popular method because of their flexibility in
content and reach. Since many people have access
to the internet on their phones, researchers can
reach people throughout the day and from any
location. This makes contacting respondents easier
while allowing them to decide when and where to
take your survey.
How to select a survey
method
1. Determine the survey's goal
Researchers and businesses can use surveys to
collect a large array of data, so determining the
purpose of your research is a good place to
begin. If your study has a target audience, you
can consider choosing a survey method that
allows you to reach these people in particular. If
you're looking for as many answers as possible,
consider an online or telephone survey that
doesn’t require gathering data in person.
2. Calculate your budget
Survey methods can vary in the resources and
time involved, so determining your budget can
help you decide which technique to choose. If
you have a large budget, focus groups and panel
samples can yield in-depth results from a target
audience. Otherwise, consider using a more
cost-effective option like telephone or mail-in
surveys.
3. Create a list of questions
Creating a list of survey questions can help you
determine whether you want to distribute your
survey in person, online or by mail. If you're
asking open-ended questions that can lead to a
discussion, consider putting together a focus
group. If you're looking for specific answers, an
online survey would allow you to have
respondents choose from a provided number of
replies.
4. Consult your team
Once you've considered the aim of your survey,
the budget you have and a list of questions to
include, consider reaching out to other
members of your team for feedback. Business
associates or fellow researchers may highlight
additional variables to consider, like a
respondent's location or profession. That can
also help you evaluate the survey questions for
their relevance to the study.
 Advantages of the survey method

• They provide a broad range of information.

• Surveys can yield a great range of data, and
researchers can use surveys to gather
information related to socioeconomic
opinions, advertising and marketing and
planning or testing product features.
• They’re cost-effective and efficient.
• Surveying people in person, by mail or online
are typically faster and less expensive
alternatives to a data-collection method like
observation. Surveys often require less time
and resources to contact participants and
gather results.
• They’re simple to analyze.
• The process of data analysis can be simple
because receiving and reviewing survey
questions is usually a straightforward process.
This is useful if researchers are facing a
deadline or receive many results.
1. Relatively easy to administer
2. Can be developed in less time (compared to other data-collection
methods)
3. Cost-effective, but cost depends on survey mode
4. Can be administered remotely via online, mobile devices, mail,
email or telephone.
5. Conducted remotely can reduce or prevent geographical
dependence
6. Capable of collecting data from a large number of respondents
7. Numerous questions can be asked about a subject, giving extensive
flexibility in data analysis
8. With survey software, advanced statistical techniques can be
utilized to analyze survey data to determine validity, reliability, and
statistical significance, including the ability to analyze multiple
variables
9. A broad range of data can be collected (e.g., attitudes, opinions,
beliefs, values, behavior).
10. Standardized surveys are relatively free from several types of errors
 Disadvantages of the survey method
• Participants' willingness:
• Since a survey involves people answering
questions about a particular topic, it relies on
participants' willingness to respond.
Researcher can try to overcome this by using
careful phrasing of questions that might
motivate participants to answer them.
• Semantic differences:
• While you may ask every person the same
question, there’s no guarantee that they all
understand the question the same way. One
way to account for this is to have
straightforward questions in simple, everyday
language
• Human biases:
• Participants' biases may inform or impact the
way they respond to particular survey
questions. You can include several questions
that ask about the same information phrased
in different ways to gain a thorough
understanding of the respondents' thoughts
and feelings.
1. Respondents may not feel encouraged to provide accurate, honest
answers
2. Respondents may not feel comfortable providing answers that
present themselves in a unfavorable manner.
3. Respondents may not be fully aware of their reasons for any given
answer because of lack of memory on the subject, or even boredom.
4. Surveys with closed-ended questions may have a lower validity rate
than other question types.
5. Data errors due to question non-responses may exist. The number of
respondents who choose to respond to a survey question may be
different from those who chose not to respond, thus creating bias.
6. Survey question answer options could lead to unclear data because
certain answer options may be interpreted differently by
respondents. For example, the answer option “somewhat agree”
may represent different things to different subjects, and have its own
meaning to each individual respondent. ‘Yes’ or ‘no’ answer options
can also be problematic. Respondents may answer “no” if the option
“only once” is not available.