Questionnaire Survey

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Questionnaire Survey
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Why surveys?

• Estimating population statistics from a small
  sample using scientific methods
• Quantified data
• Succinct presentation
• Comparability
• Capturing complexity

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How?
Interviewer completion Respondent completion
Advantages More accurate cheaper
Advantages High res. rate quicker
Advantages Fuller answers Relatively anonymous
Advantages Can explain
Disadvantages Higher cost Patchy response
Disadvantages Less anonymous Incomplete res.
Disadvantages Desire to please intervierer Frivolous res.
Disadvantages Presentation critical
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Survey types

• Household
• Street
• Telephone
• Mail
• Customer
• Captive
• Organization

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Main factors affecting design

• Cost
• Questionnaire length
• Sample size
• Response rate

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Response rate

• Low response rate increases risk of response bias
  thus the reliability of the results

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Ways of increasing response rate

• Keep questionnaire short
• Reader-friendly design presentation
• Accompanying letter
• Postage-paid reply envelope
• Rewards
• Reminder/follow-ups

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Questionnaire design

• Clearly identify the problems
• Review existing research literature
• Identify key concepts and variables
• Propose the relationships
• Identify information needed to test or estimate
  the relationships
• Draft design
• Pilot test
• Final design

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Types of questions

• Open-ended
• Pre-coded (check list)
• Ranking
• Likert scales
• Attitude statements
• Semantic differential

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Wording of questions

• Avoid jargon
• Simple
• Avoid ambiguity
• Avoid leading questions
• One question at a time

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Other design issues

• Ordering of questions
• Layout
• Filters
• Introductory remarks
• Validity of surveys
• Use of pilot survey

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Representative sample

• Random sample
• Quota sampling
• Multi-stage sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Minimized self-selection bias
• Clear guidelines for interviewers
• Increase response rate

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Sample size

• Level of precision of results
• Level of detail in the proposed analysis
• Budget