1 / 14

Chapter 7

Chapter 7. Survey research. Why conduct surveys. They provide a method for asking people personal information They give a “snapshot” of public opinion Complement experimental research findings Multiple methods are necessary to understanding behavior

hvalasquez
Download Presentation

Chapter 7

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Chapter 7 Survey research

  2. Why conduct surveys • They provide a method for asking people personal information • They give a “snapshot” of public opinion • Complement experimental research findings • Multiple methods are necessary to understanding behavior • To get accurate answers for research questions • Disadvantage: personal bias • Response set

  3. What to ask • Defining objectives • Attitudes and beliefs • Facts and demographics • Behaviors • Question wording • Simplicity • Things to avoid • Avoid questions that ask two things at once • Avoid loaded questions • Avoid negative wording • “Yea-saying” and “nay-saying”

  4. Responses to questions • Closed vs. open ended questions • Number of response alternatives • Rating scales • Likert scale – an interval scale commonly used • A news reporter should have 5 yrs of experience as a journalist SD D U A SA • Graphic rating scale – requires a mark along a 100mm line; a ruler is then placed on the line to obtain the a numerical score

  5. Finalizing the questionnaire • Format • Survey should be attractive and professional • NO spelling errors • Leave enough space between items • Keep things consistent • Refine questions by giving the survey a ‘trial run’ and ask participants to think aloud while answering.

  6. Improving a poor survey item • Identify what is wrong • How should it be written • Have you had an upset stomach lately • Highly prejudiced people are usually hostile and not very smart • Do you agree with most people that violations of seat belt laws should result in harsh penalties?

  7. Improving a poor survey item:Rewritten questions • . • . • .

  8. Administering surveys • Questionnaires • Personal administration • Mail • Internet • Interviews • Face to face • Telephone • Focus group

  9. Sampling from a population • Confidence interval • An interval of values within which there is a given level of confidence (e.g. 95%) where the population value lies • Gives information about the likely amount of error • This type of error is a.k.a. sampling error or margin or error • Calculation is based on the size of the sample

  10. Sampling from a population • Sample size • Large sample sizes reduces the size of the confidence interval • Large samples yield data that accurately reflect the true population • Mathematical formula

  11. Sampling techniques • Probability sampling– each member of the population has a probability of being chosen; important when trying to make a precise statement about the population • Simple random sampling • Every member has an equal probability of being selected from the sample • Stratified random sampling • Division into subgroups and then random sampling from those subgroups • This type of sampling includes an accurate reflection of the numerical composition of the various subgroups

  12. Sampling techniques • Probability sampling • Cluster sampling • Identify ‘clusters’ of individuals and sample from the clusters • All individuals in the cluster are sampled • Clusters are based on naturally occurring groupings, like geographical areas or institutions • Overall drawbacks: time consuming, expensive & difficult

  13. Sampling techniques • Non probability sampling – the probability of choosing any particular member of the population is unknown; these techniques are arbitrary in comparison to probability sampling techniques • Haphazard sampling • a.k.a convenience sampling • Sampling individuals on a ‘first-come’ basis • Drawback: your results may not generalize to your intended population • Quota sampling • Choosing a sample that reflects the numerical composition of various subgroups in the population • Data is collected using haphazard techniques

  14. Evaluating samples • Sampling frame • The actual population of individuals (or clusters) from which a random sample will be drawn • Response rate • The %age of people in the sample who completed the survey • Indicates amount of bias there might be in the final respondents • Incentives can be used to increase response rates

More Related