surveys

Surveys

Objectives

1. To understand why surveys are popular



2. To describe the types of surveys



3. To discover the advantages and disadvantages of the

various types of survey research



4. To gain insight into the factors that determine the

choice of particular survey methods



5. To learn the types of error in survey research.

What is a Survey?

Why Survey?



 Get lots of structured information from lots

of people.

 Simplify and standardize data collection.

 Use statistics to make predictions.

 Find out about things that can not be

observed. Such as?

• Thoughts, Emotions, Intentions, Attitudes

The Need to Know Why

There generally is a critical need to have some

idea about why people do or do not do something.

• Likes, dislikes, attitudes, behaviors, influences

 The Need to Know How

• Also it is often necessary to understand the

process consumers go through before taking

some action.

 The Need to Know Who

• Information on age, income, occupation, marital

status, stage in the family life cycle, education,

and other lifestyle factors is necessary to the

identification and definition of market segments.

Survey Methods

Personal Interview

•Door-to-Door (in-home), Mall-Intercept, Purchase-Intercept

Technique (PIT), Executive

Telephone-Interview

•People vs. Machines

•Computer assisted (CATI)

Self-Administered

•Mail Survey

•Fax

•One-time vs. Panels

Computer

Direct Computer Interviewing

Interactive voice response technology-Automated Telephone

Surveys

Personal Interviews

Personal Interviews

Advantages

 Can arouse and keep interest

 Can build rapport and enlist cooperation

 Ask complex questions

 Can use visual and other aids

 Clarify misunderstandings

 High degree of flexibility

 Probe for more complete answers

 Do not need an explicit or current list of households or

individuals

Personal Interviews

Disadvantages:

 Bias of Interviewer

 Response Bias

• Embarrassing/personal questions

 Time Requirements

 Cost Per Completed Interview Is High.

 A trained staff of interviewers that is geographically

near the sample is needed.

 The total data collection period is likely to be longer

than for most procedures.

Telephone Interviewing

What are the Important Aspects of Telephone

Interviewing?

 Selecting telephone numbers

• Pre specified list

• A directory

• Random dialing procedure

• Random digit dialing

• Systematic random digit dialing (SRDD)

 The introduction

 When to call

 Call reports

Telephone Interviewing

Advantages:

 Central location, under supervision, at own hours

 More interviews can be conducted in a given time

• Travelling time is saved

 More hours of the day are productive

 Repeated call backs at lower cost

 Lower administrative costs/ Lower cost per

completed interview

 Less sample bias

 Better access to certain populations

 Shorter data collection periods.

Telephone Interviewing

Limitations and Disadvantages:

 Inability to employ visual aids or complex tasks

 Can't be longer than 5-10 min. or they get boring

 Amount of data that can be collected is relatively less

 A capable interviewer essential

 Sample bias -- Not all people have phones, or are not

listed

 Nonresponse associated with RDD sampling is higher

than with interviews

 Possibly less appropriate for personal or sensitive

questions if no prior contact

Increasing Phone Survey Response



 Call at a convenient time (Weekdays 7-9

PM, Sunday afternoon)

 Have a nice Pleasant introduction

 Emphasize you are not selling anything.

 State how long it will take.

 Keep the survey short

Self-Administered Types of Survey Research



Direct Mail Survey

Questionnaire is distributed to and

returned from respondents via the

postal service.

Respondent

Reads

Survey Mail Panel Survey

Questions Selected group of individuals that have

made an advance agreement to

and Records participate in a series of direct mail

Answers surveys.

Without

Assistance

Drop Off Survey

Questionnaires are left with respondent

to be completed at a later time and

returned to the researcher.

Mail Surveys

 Requires a broad identification of the individuals

to be sampled before data collection begins

• Ad Hoc Mail Surveys (cold):

• Questionnaires for a particular project sent to

selected names and addresses with no prior contact

by the researcher.

• Mail Panels (warm):

• Pre-contacted and screened participants who are

periodically sent questionnaires.

• A mail panel is a type of longitudinal study. A

longitudinal study in one in which the same

respondents are re-sampled over time.

Mail Surveys

Some Decisions That Need to Be Taken

 Type of Return Envelope

 Postage

 Method of Addressing

 Cover Letter

 The Questionnaire Length, Layout,

Color, Format Etc

 Method of Notification

 Incentive to Be Given

Mail Surveys

Advantages

 Relatively low cost

 Reliable answers as no inhibiting intermediary

 Survey answered at respondents discretion

 Can be accomplished with minimal staff and facilities.

 Provides access to widely dispersed samples.

 Respondents have time to give thoughtful answers,

look up records, or consult others.

Mail Surveys

Disadvantages

 No control over whom the respondent consults before

answering the questions

 The identity of the respondent is inadequately controlled

 The speed of the response can't be monitored

 No control on the order in which the questions are exposed

or answered

 Especially careful questionnaire design is needed.

 Open questions usually are not useful.

 Good reading and writing skills are needed by respondents.

 The interviewer is not present to exercise quality control

with respect to answering all questions, meeting questions

objectives, or the quality of answers provided.

Mail Surveys

Disadvantages (Contd.):

 The respondent may not clearly understand the

question and no opportunity to clarify

 No long questionnaires

 Subject to availability of a mailing list

 Response rate is generally poor

 Number of problems such as obsolescence,

omissions, duplications, etc

 Ineffective as a way of enlisting cooperation.

 Need for good mailing addresses for sample.

Factors Affecting the Response Rate

 Perceived amount of work required, and the

length of the questionnaire

 Intrinsic interest in the topic

 Characteristics of the sample

 Credibility of the sponsoring organization

 Level of induced motivation

Tactics Employed to Increase Mail

Survey Response Rate

• Advance postcard or telephone call alerting respondent of

survey.

• Follow-up postcard or phone call.

• Monetary incentives (nickel, dime, quarter, half-dollar).

• Premiums (pencil, pen, keychain, coupons, etc.).

• Postage stamps rather than metered envelopes.

• Self-addressed, stamped return envelope.

• Personalized address and well-written cover letter.

• Promise of contributions to favorite charity.

Tactics Employed to Increase Mail

Survey Response Rate

• Entry into drawing for prize.

• Emotional appeals.

• Affiliation with institutions or reputed organizations.

• Personally signed cover letter.

• Multiple mailings of the questionnaire.

• Bids for sympathy.

• Offer to share information from the survey.

• Reminder that respondent participated in previous

study.

Drop-off questionnaires

The interviewer can explain the study, answer

questions, and designate a respondent.

Response rates tend to be like those of personal

interview studies.

There is more opportunity to give thoughtful answers

and consult records.

Costs about as much as personal interviews.

A field staff is required.

Fax Surveys

Advantages

 Relatively low cost

 Can be accomplished with minimal staff and

facilities

 Provides access to widely dispersed samples.

 Respondents have time to give thoughtful answers.

 Local faxes are free.

 Administrative costs are fixed.

 It is fast.

 List management is easy.

 Can send and receive by computer.

Fax Surveys

Disadvantages

 Higher fixed costs for computer/fax equipment,

multiple phone lines.

 Cost varies by time on line, time of day, distance, and

telephone carrier.

 Currently limited to organizational populations.

 Loss of anonymity.

Internet Surveys

To realize the importance

of the marketing research

Internet Samples interviewer.

•Unrestricted

• Open to any Internet user.

•Screened

• adjust for unrepresentitiveness of the self-selected

respondents by imposing quotas based on some desired

sample characteristics

Recruited

• to target populations in surveys that require more

control of the sample

Internet Surveys

Advantages:

Theadvantages of interviewer administration (In

contrast to mail surveys).

smaller staff needed,

High-speed,

Instantaneous data access

Cost efficient,

Automatic data entry

Multimedia stimuli

Easy to update

Ability to reach a lot of people

Internet Surveys

Advantages:

Potential for longitudinal studies

Surveys can be unobtrusively included with a general

site

pre-screening of respondents possible

tracking

 No geographic boundaries

supervision and quality control potentially better.

Likely better response rate from a list sample than from

mail

use a branching or skip pattern

Internet Surveys

Disadvantages:

•Internet users are not representative of the

population as a whole (strong sample bias)

•Strong selection bias for respondents who are not

pre-screened

•security/privacy issues

• unrestricted: anyone can complete the questionnaire

• fully self-selecting

E-mail Questionnaires

• Thequestionnaire is prepared like a simple

E-mail message, and is sent to a list of known

E-mail addresses. The respondent fills in the

answers, and E-mails the form plus replies

back to the research organization

Increasing Response: Internet/E-mail Survey

Almost all the actions listed for mail survey

should hold for E-Mail/Internet survey with

some modifications.

 The questionnaire should be fairly short.

 No need for advance notification

 Have short, pleasant introduction

 Monetary incentives not given. But sharing

information would be nice.

 Reminder e-mail would be useful.

Criteria for Determining Choice Of Particular

Survey Methods

Sample Criteria: Ability to reach and get responses

from the desired sample (right type of people and

“adequate” sample size).

Information Criteria: Ability to get the desired

information from respondents.

 Need to Expose Respondents to Various Stimuli or Perform Certain

Specialized Tasks e.g. Taste tests, product concept and prototype tests, ad

tests, card sorts, etc.

 Length of Questionnaire

 Degree of Structure of the Questionnaire

Administrative Criteria:

 time for data collection and analysis

 Interviewer control

 Budget

Factors Determining the Choice of

Survey Method.

Personal:

Use for long, complex questionnaires where respondent is

important and budgets are high.

Mail:

Use when you have a mailing list, somewhat long / complex

questionnaire, and budgets are low.

Phone:

Use to reach a large number of people quickly and you have a

short questionnaire that can be easily understood.

E-Mail/Internet:.

Use when target audience is educated, topic interesting, short

questionnaire, have e-mail list, representativeness not a major

issue

Comparative Evaluation

Personal Phone Mail

 Sample control   

 Use of physical stimuli   

 Diversity of questions   

 Length   

 Perceived anonymity   

 Potential for interviewer bias   

 Field force control   

 Speed   

 Cost   

Advantages & Disadvantages of Survey Methods

Personal Mail/Self Report Telephone

Speed of data Moderate to fast No control over Very fast

collection return of

questionnaire

Geographic Limited to High Good

flexibility moderate

Respondent Excellent except Moderate –poorly Good

cooperation in shopping malls designed

questionnaires

have poor

response rates

Versatility of Very versatile Highly Moderate

questioning standardized

format

Advantages & Disadvantages of Survey Methods



Personal Mail/Self Report Telephone

Questionnaire Long Varies depending Moderate/Short

length on incentive

Respondent Lowest Highest Moderate

misunderstanding

Interviewer High None Moderate

influence

Supervision of Moderate Not applicable High

interviewers



Anonymity of Low in face-to- High Moderate

respondent face situations

Advantages & Disadvantages of Survey Methods





Personal Mail/Self Report Telephone

Ease of callback or Difficult Easy, but takes Easy

follow-up time

Cost Highest Lowest Low to moderate



Special features Visual materials Respondents may Field and

may be shown or answer questions supervision of

demonstrated; at own data collection are

extended probing convenience; has simplified; quite

possible time to reflect on adaptable to

answers computer

technology



Note: These reflect typical situations. For example, an elaborate mail survey may be

far more expensive than a short interview, but this is generally not the case.

Potential Problems with Surveys

How accurate are the results?

 Did you ask the right questions in the right way?

 Did you ask the right people?

 Did they tell you the truth, the whole truth, and

nothing but the truth?

• Will they?

• Can they? Do they have the knowledge, opinions, attitudes, or facts

required. Do they understand the questions?

 Structure causes a loss of data richness.

 Have the Respondents/Interviewers understood and

correctly recorded the responses

 Lack of control causes time and response problems.

Overview of the Types of Errors in

Survey Research Methods

Survey research errors can be classified as either:



 Random  Nonsampling Error

Sampling Error (Systematic Error)

 statistically measured  results from mistakes or

problems in the research design

difference between

or from flaws in the execution of

the actual sampled the sample design

results and the

 Causes your data to be

estimated true misleading or incomplete in

population results. some systematic way

 error because of  If you are aware of the problem

chance variation you may be able to deal with it.

Systematic Sample Design Error

 Frame Error: The list from which you draw your

sample is not what you think it is—some on it don’t

belong and/or some who belong are not on it.

 Population Specification Error: incorrect definition

of the universe or population from which the sample

is to be selected.You left people out of the study.

 Selection Error: You include or exclude people in

the sample so that it is not random. Use of

incomplete or improper sampling procedures or

when appropriate selection procedures are not

properly followed.

Systematic Measurement Error

 Surrogate Information Error

• Acquisition of the wrong data because wrong question was

asked.

 Interviewer Error

• interviewer may, consciously or unconsciously, influence

respondents to give untrue or inaccurate answers.

 Instrument Bias

misunderstood or leading ?s.

 Processing Error

• sloppy data input

 Non-response Bias

• differences between the “did” vs. “did not” answer question

 Response Bias

a failure to tell the truth., consciously or unconsciously

RESEARCH

QUESTIONS