1 SOCIAL SURVEY RESEARCH: AN OVERVIEW OF SURVEY RESEARCH PRINCIPLES - - PDF document

1 SOCIAL SURVEY RESEARCH: AN OVERVIEW OF SURVEY RESEARCH PRINCIPLES FOR CONSUMERS AND DECISION MAKERS. SOME QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO ASK WHEN UNDERTAKING SOCIAL RESEARCH:

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What is (are) your research question(s)? (Be as precise as possible.)

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What are the key variables you need to collect information upon? (A measurement question.)

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What do you expect to find? (What is your hypothesis?)

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How will you test your hypothesis(es)? (How will you address your research question)?

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How will you measure the variables you have decided to examine? (This involves the issue of operationalization.)

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What is the best method for collecting data to address your research question? (Is survey research the best way of answering your question? This is a research design question.)

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Are there possibilities to use triangulation? (Can you collect data through multiple methods?; e.g., in addition to some form of survey research, can you make direct

• bservations?, use available data?, can you engage in other forms of unobtrusive data

collection?).

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What is the unit of analysis you are interested in? (E.g., individuals, groups, provinces).

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What population are you interested in generalizing to? (This is a different question than the previous one.)

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What is your sampling frame?

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What type of sampling procedure do you intend to employ?

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What size will your sample be? Why?

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What is your anticipated response rate?

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Is the main purpose of your research descriptive or explanatory?

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How will you analyze your data?

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Will you be doing univariate, bivariate, or multivariate analysis?

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What relevant sub-groups should you consider in your analysis?

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What comparison data is available.

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Are your findings mainly applied, or are there broader social trends, or theoretical explanations that may be relevant to consider?

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How will you present your findings? ISSUES RELATED TO SAMPLING

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Why Sample?

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Probability vs. Non-Probability Samples

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Population of Interest

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Sampling Frame

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Types of Random Samples Simple Random Sampling Systematic Sampling with a Random Start Stratified Random Sampling Multi-Stage Cluster Sampling

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Types of Non-Random Samples Purposive Samples Quota Samples Snowball Sample Available Subjects

3 ISSUES RELATED TO MEASUREMENT AND QUESTIONNAIRE CONSTRUCTION

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Questions vs. statements (e.g., likert scale type items).

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Open-ended vs. closed-ended questions.

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Avoid Double-Barrelled Questions.

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Respondents Must Be Competent to Answer.

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Questions Should be Relevant.

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Short Items Are Best

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Avoid Negative Items.

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Avoid Biased Items and Terms.

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Single vs. Multiple Indicators

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Reliability and Validity QUESTIONNAIRE FORMAT

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Formats for Responses

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Ordering of Questions

4 FACTORS AFFECTING THE RESPONSE RATE OF MAIL SURVEYS

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Sponsorship

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Questionnaire Format and Colour.

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Cover Letter.

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Ease of Completing and Returning the Questionnaire.

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Inducements to Reply.

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The Characteristics of the Respondents.

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Type of Mailing.

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Follow-up Letters and Telephone Calls.

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Number and Timing of Follow-ups or Reminders.

5 A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY Babbie, Earl. 1994. The Practice of Social Research, 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Bailey, Kenneth D. 1982. Methods of Social Research. Second Edition. New York: The Free Press. Converse, Jean M. and Stanley Presser. 1986. Survey Questions: Handcrafting the Standardized Questionnaire. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. Dillman, D.A. 1978. Mail and Telephone Surveys: The Total Design Method. New York: Wiley and Sons. Dillman, Don A. 1991. "The Design and Administration of Mail Surveys." Annual Review

• f Sociology 17:225-249.

Gray, George and Neil Guppy. 1993. Successful Surveys. Toronto: Harcourt Brace. Lee, Eun Sul, Ronald N. Forthofer, and Ronald J. Lorimer. 1989. Analyzing Complex Survey Data. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. Miller, Delbert C. 1991. Handbook of Research Design and Social Measurement. Fifth

• Edition. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications

Sudman, Seymour, and Norman Bradburn. 1982. Asking Questions: A Practical Guide to Questionnaire Design. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.