Survey research
research in which information is obtained from a sample of individuals through their responses to questions about themselves or others. strengths:
-versatility, efficiency, and generalizability
Omnibus survey
a survey that covers a range of topics of interests to different social scientists
split-ballot design
unique questions or other modifications in a survey administered to randomly selected subsets of the total survey sample, so that more questions can be included in the entire survey or so that responses to different question versions can be compared
Double negative
a question or statement that contains two negatives, which can muddy the meaning of the question
Double-barreled question
a single survey question that actually asks two questions but only allows one answer
filter question
a survey question used to identify a subset of respondents who then are asked other questions
skip pattern
the unique combination of question created in a survey by filter questions and contingent questions
contingent questions
a question that is asked of only a subset of survey respondents
Fence-sitters
survey respondents who see themselves as being neutral on an issue and choose a middle (neutral) response that is offered
Floaters
survey respondents who provide an opinion on a topic in response to a closed-ended question that does not include a "Don't know" option, but who will choose "Don't know" if it is available
Forced-choice questions
closed-ended survey questions that do not include "Don't know" as an explicit response
Idiosyncratic variation
variation in responses to questions that is caused by individuals' reactions to particular words or ideas in the question instead of by variation in the concept that question is intended to measure.
questionnaire
the survey instrument containing the questions in a self-administered survey
Interview schedule
the survey instrument containing questions asked by the interviewer in an in-person or phone survey
cognitive interview
a technique for evaluating questions in which researchers ask people test questions and then probe with follow-up questions to learn how they understood the question and what their answers mean
Survey pretest
a method of evaluating survey questions and procedures by testing them out on a small sample of individuals like those to be included in the actual survey and then reviewing responses to the questions and reactions to the survey procedures.
Behavior coding
Observation in which the research categorizes according to strict rules, the number of times certain behaviors occur.
Interpretive questions
questions included in a questionnaire or interview schedule to help explain answers to other important questions
Context effects
Occur in a survey when one ore more questions influence how subsequent questions are interpreted
Part-whole question effects
these occur when responses to a general or summary question about a topic are influenced by responses to an earlier, more specific question about that topic.
Electronic survey
A survey that is sent and answered by computer, either through email or on the internet
Mailed survey
survey involving a mailed questionnaire to be completed by the respondent.
Cover letter
the letter sent with a mailed questionnaire. It explains the survey's purpose an auspices and encourages the respondent to participate.
Group-administered survey
A survey that is completed by individual respondents who are assembled in a group
Phone survey
a survey in which interviewers question respondents over the phone and then record their answers
Computer-assisted interview (CATI)
a telephone interview in which a questionnaire is programmed into a computer along with relevant skip patterns, and only valid entries are allowed
Interactive voice response (IVR)
a survey in which respondents receive automated calls and answer questions by pressing numbers on their phone or by speaking numbers that are interpreted by computerized voice recognition
In-person interview
A survey in which an interviewer questions respondents face-to-face and records their answers
Computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI)
A personal interview in which the laptop computer is used to display interview questions and to process responses that the interviewer types in, as well as to check that these responses fall within allowed ranges.
Web survey
A survey that is accessed and responded to on the internet
Mixed-mode survey
A survey that is conducted by more than one method, allowing the strengths of one survey design to compensate for the weaknesses of another and maximizing likelihood of securing data from different types of respondents.
Ex: nonrespondents in mailed survey
Confidentiality
Provided by research in which identifying information that could be used to link respondents to their responses is available only to designated research personnel.
Anonymity
Provided by research in which no identifying information is recorded that could be used to link respondents to their responses.