EST 255 - Surveys

Survey Structure

Background questions, core questions, and demographic questions

Survey Delivery Methods

Oral (in person/over the phone), internet (email/website), or post mail

Survey Biases

Participants may not be honest in their responses, may not understand questions, may attempt to please the researcher with their responses, and may not complete entire survey

Ordinal Scalar Questions

Provide an ordered set of answer categories, and respondents must decide where they fit along the continuum (Likert scales are a common example of this)

Closed-Ended (Scalar) Questions

Provide respondents with a list of answer choices from which they must choose to answer the question

Open-Ended Questions

Provides a blank space or box where respondents type or write in their response using their own words or numbers

Nominal Scalar Questions

Respondents are asked to compare a set of categories with no natural order underlying the categories

Survey Benefits

Systematic, objective, generally quantifiable but can include qualitative aspects, conducive to hypothesis testing, captures current information, multiple delivery strategies available, comprehensive, not time consuming

Surveys

Used to gain information from a sample of people representative of a larger group; measure variables in a conceptual model