This document discusses various topics related to survey research methods. It covers forms of survey research like face-to-face, mail, telephone and internet surveys. It also discusses interviewing, validity, reliability, sampling, data collection and analysis procedures. Common survey design errors and ways to improve response rates are outlined. The advantages and disadvantages of different data collection modes are compared.

1. POL / SOC 360-01
Spring 2015

4.  Forms of Survey Research:
 Face-to-Face Surveys
 Mail Surveys
 Telephone Surveys
 Internet Surveys
 Interviewing
 Personal commmunications with individuals
 Structure of setting varies

5. INSTRUCTIONS
Where in political science or sociology
would survey research be used?
Spend a few minutes thinking on your own,
then pair up with your number partner
and discuss your responses.

7.  What is validity? What is reliability?
 Validity: True and accurate measure
 Reliability: Consistent results across individuals
 Types of Error:
 Random Error – Occurs by Chance
 Systematic Error – Occurs by Design
 Research Goal: Minimize Error!

12.  Intensity of Feelings aboutTopic
 Willingness to Complete Research
 Desire to Please Interviewer
 Interviewer Characteristics (Race, Gender)
 Context of Research

13.  R must know what I deems relevant answer
 R must be motivated to provide I information
 R must know how to provide information
 I must accurately record R’s response

17. George Gallup

19.  Goal: Make valid and reliable inferences about
a population of interest w/ a sample
 How do we do this?
 “Law of Large Numbers”
 Randomly selected and independent observations
 Larger the sample size, the more likely it is that the
sample mean is close to the population mean

21.  Exploratory
 Acquire new information
 Descriptive
 Measure population of interest
 Explanatory
 Test hypotheses
 Verify observed patterns in data

22.  #1: Survey Design
 #2: Sampling and Pre-Testing
 #3: Survey Evaluation
 #4: Data Collection
 #5: Data Collation and Management
 #6: Data Analysis

26.  Traditional Mode of Surveying / Interviewing
 Respondent’s Natural Surrounding
 Home or Business
 StructuredQuestionnaire
 Interviewer Presence: Pros and Cons
 Pro: Provide Context to Respondents
 Con: Social Desirability Effects

29.  #1: Low Cost
 #2: Reduction in Error
 #3: Greater Anonymity
 #4: Consider Answers / Consultations
 #5: Accessibility

30.  #1: Simple Questions
 #2: No Opportunity to Probe Respondents
 #3: No Control over Questionnaire
 #4: Low Response Rate

31. Professor Don Dillman,
Washington State University

32.  Focuses on identifying aspects of survey
process and modifying them to obtain best
response rate
 Response Rates:
 First Mailing: 24%
 Follow-Up Postcard: 42%
 First Replacement Questionnaire: 50%
 Second Replacement Questionnaire: 72%

33.  “KISS”Test – “Keep it Simple, Stupid”
 Personalize Survey
 “Dear Austin” vs. Respondent”
 Get Sponsor
 Offer Monetary Incentives:

35. ADVANTAGES
 Moderate Cost
 Speed
 High Response Rate
 Quality
DISADVANTAGES
 Social Desirability
 “Broken” Interviews
 Less Information
 Cell Phones

37.  Too early to judge overall effectiveness
 What are the advantages to this mode?
 Rise of Internet Polling prevented by:
 Access
 “Click-In” Polls

38.  Degree of Interviewer Involvement
 Degree of Interaction with Respondent
 Degree of Privacy
 Channel of Communication
 Technology Use

40.  Closed-Ended Questions
 Open-Ended Questions
 Double-Barreled Questions
 Ambiguous Questions
 Leading Questions
 Filter Questions

41.  Combines two questions into one
 Example: Do you agree with the statement
that the situation in Iraq is deteriorating and
that the United States should increase the
number of troops in Iraq?

42.  Question that contains a concept that is not
clearly defined
 Examples:
 What is your income?
 How many children do you have?
 Do you prefer Brand A or Brand B?

43.  Encourages respondents to choose
particular response because the
question indicates researcher expects it
 Example: Don’t you think that global
warming is a serious environmental
problem?

45.  Helping “the needy” versus
those “on welfare”
 “Socialized medicine” versus
“National Health Insurance”
 “Going toWar” versus
“Fighting againstTerrorism”

47.  #1: Saliency
 #2: Redundancy
 #3: Consistency
 #4: Fatigue
 #5: Primacy
 #6: Recency

48.  Branching and Filter Questions
 Sorts respondents into subgroups
 Directs subgroups to answer different questions

50.  The act of asking individuals a series of
questions and recording their responses
 Types of Interviews:
 Structure-Scheduled
▪ Least Flexible; Identical Number/Wording of Questions
 Focused
▪ Subjects’ Experiences; Respondents’ Freedom of Expression
 Non-Directive
▪ No Specific Set of Questions; Interviewer Freedom