Survey Design

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Survey Design

• Chris Fanning
• chris.fanning_at_flinders.edu.au

T O U R I S M
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Survey Questions with a purpose

• What is the problem or issue?
• Who do you want to ask about this?

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Survey Questions with a purpose

• Surveys can help you find information about-
• Knowledge What people know
• Beliefs/Attitudes - Opinions
• Behaviour What people do
• Attributes Who people are

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Knowledge

• Asks people what they know and can offer choices
  e.g.
• How did you find out about xxxxxx?
• Are you aware of these companies being sponsors
  or supporters of this event?

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Beliefs/Attitudes

• Psychological states relating to perceptions,
  feelings, thoughts e.g.
• Would you visit xxxxxxxx again?
• How would you rate your satisfaction
• with the following aspects?
• What other experiences would you like to
• see in place in xxxxxxxxxx?

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Behaviour

• What people have done be careful of what people
  may do (they dont always go ahead) e.g.
• What did you do today?
• How did you get to this event?
• What type of accommodation are you staying in?

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Attributes

• Personal Demographic and Geographic information
  e.g.
• What is your usual place of residence?
• If Australian, postcode.Go to Q7
•   If from overseas, pls specify
  country.
• Which of these categories best describes your
  
• household income ?
• Which of these categories best describes your
• age?

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Types of Questions

• Open
• Closed
• Partially closed eg Other (please specify)

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Open Questions

• Provide lots of information but difficult to
  analyse (code)
• Often used at end e.g.
• Any other comments about xxxxxxx?

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Closed questions

• Modest number of options to choose
• from
• Use short, simple questions
• Define time periods, ages etc.
• eg lt15 15-25 26-50 51

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Closed with unordered response choices

• Single Choice
• Gender
• Female Male
• Multiple Choice
• How would you rate your satisfaction with the
  following aspects?
• Good Average Poor N/A
• Terminal Facilities
• Visitor Guides Maps
• Information Officers
• Tours booked on board
• Tours booked privately

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Test your questionnaire

• Consider order of questions
• Pretest your questionnaire with at least 10
  surveys ideally of the people who are
  representative of your sample.
• Random sample of 100 in population size of 1000,
  then you are 95 confident.
• Increasing sample size doesnt make much
  difference you are still within 10 of right
  answer.

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Golden Rules

• Keep it simple
• Make sure most questions are ticking a box
• No Jargon
• Plain English (and short)
• Try to frame questions in specific behavioural
  terms not averages, tendencies or
  generalisations
• Check there are no biases (eg Do you agree your
  tourism teacher is the best?)
• If you are not going to use the information,
  dont ask the question!!

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Useful References and Websites

• James J and Savage G (2001) A Practical Guide to
  Evaluating Natural and Cultural Heritage
  Interpretation. Sydney Workshop
• Jennings G 2001 Tourism Research John Wiley,
  Brisbane
• http//learningstore.uwex.edu/pdf/G3658-2.PDF
• http//readwritethink.org
• http//www.tourism.sa.gov.au/WebFiles/IndustryDeve
  lopment/Cruise_Ship_Report_final_2006.pdf