Surveys

1
Surveys

• 28-02-2007

2
Characteristics of Surveys

• Unit of analysis is usually the individual
• US Census collects information about family units
• Direct data gathering method
• More valid
• Less reliable

3
Types of Survey Data

• Background age, education
• Behavioral voting, political activities
• Attitudes lib/con, alienation
• Opinions reflect underlying attitudes
• Knowledge political events and policies

4
Uses of Survey Research

• Measuring public opinion
• Predicting elections
• Understanding individual behavior

5
Survey Questions

• Closed specific and limited alternatives
• Easy to understand
• Easy to analyze
• Open ended free form answers
• Useful in preliminary design
• More difficult to code

6
Sources of Error with Questions

• Timing
• Current events can change how people respond
• Phrasing
• Ambiguous wording
• Sequencing
• The order of questions can affect the results
• Interpreting responses

7
Sampling

• Number of cases drawn from a population
• Inferring population behavior from a subset of
  people
• Critical that the sample be representative of the
  whole

8
Random Sample Designs

• Random equal probability
• Systematic Random every nth person
• Stratified ensures minorities are included
• Multi-stage areas are chosen for ease
• Cluster groups of individuals

9
Non-Random Sample Designs

• Quota
• Snowball
• Convenience
• Self-selected

10
Interviewing

• The success of any survey will depend a great
  deal on the skill of the interviewer
• Good interpersonal skills
• Two major concerns
• Interview effect
• Interviewer fraud

11
Problems Interpreting Survey Results

• Surveys as obtrusive measures
• Opinions fleeting or stable
• Relationship between attitudes and behaviors
• Emphasize attitudes and not institutions
• Hard to get random sample
• Response rate

12
Drawbacks to Surveys

• Surveys are never exact and precise
• Accuracy varies
• Surveys are necessarily superficial
• People are notoriously bad at predicting their
  own future behavior

13
Value of Surveys

• Essential tool in social science research
• Can yield interesting and reliable data