Survey Methods. Types of surveys Telephone Postal Internet Face to face Written questionnaires.
-
Upload
stewart-wilson -
Category
Documents
-
view
214 -
download
0
Transcript of Survey Methods. Types of surveys Telephone Postal Internet Face to face Written questionnaires.
Survey Methods
Types of surveys
Telephone Postal Internet Face to face Written questionnaires
General points
All methods have pros and cons Method selected will depend on things like time and
cost Written questionnaires allow greater privacy Face to face / person to person allows dialogue /
clarification Quality of questions is paramount – must be precise
and unambiguous: “rubbish in equals rubbish out!” The larger the sample size the better
Pilot Studies – advantages
A brief trial study Checks that questions are understood / elicit
the information you are looking for Avoids time / money being wasted on a
survey which does not ‘work’ Improves the design / sharpens the
questions Results could be ‘added’ to final survey
Pilot Studies - disadvantages
Sample size likely to be smaller than final survey so results could be misleading
Time taken – the intention of the survey could be out of date by the time the sample is completed
Face to face - advantages
Higher response rate Responses can be elaborated on Skilled interviewer can get good information
by further questions Questions can be further clarified if not fully
understood
Face to face - disadvantages
Embarrassment factor – respondents may ‘lie’ / modify answers
Quality depends on the skill and commitment of the interviewer
Time consuming if large enough sample size to be achieved
Postal questionnaires - advantages
Quite cheap / straightforward Access to wide range of people /
geographical areas Respondents less likely to be ‘embarrassed’ Answers likely to be longer that ‘in the street’
surveys Results can be coded, analysed, presented
in different formats
Postal questionnaires - disadvantages
Time consuming waiting to receive replies Low response rate, reduces sample size No opportunity to further explain questions May not sample certain groups – e.g. homeless. Response rate will vary by social class Unless questions are asked about ethnic group / age
/ social class of the respondents, the sample might not be representative
Some respondents will not take it seriously – don’t consider answers etc.
Postal Surveys - examples
Lancashire County Council Hillingdon Annual Public Health Report
Internet Surveys - advantages
Fairly cheap option Anonymous – reduces embarrassment factor People have time to consider their answers Can access a very wide sample Answers can be entered in a form which
allows them to be codified, analysed Programmes available allow internet surveys
to be quickly made up
Internet Surveys - disadvantages
Sample restricted to those with computers / internet access
People may not take it seriously Age profile likely to be younger Multiple responses can affect results
Examples
Hampshire Constabulary
Telephone Surveys – advantages