Evaluating Survey Data Collection Methods

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Learning Objectives
 To learn the four basic alternative modes for
gathering survey data
 To understand the advantages and disadvantages
of each of the various data collection modes
 To comprehend the factors researchers consider
when choosing a particular survey method

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Learning Objectives
 To become knowledgeable about the details of
different types of survey data collection methods,
such as personal interviews, telephone interviews,
and computer-administered interviews, including
online surveys

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Contemporary Survey

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Surveys
 A survey involves interviews with a large number
of respondents using a predesigned questionnaire.

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Surveys
 Four basic survey methods:
 Person-administered surveys
 Computer-assisted surveys
 Self-administered surveys
 Mixed-mode (hybrid) surveys

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Advantages of Surveys
 Standardization
 Ease of administration
 Ability to tap the “unseen”
 Suitability to tabulation and statistical analysis
 Sensitivity to subgroup differences

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Four Alternative
Data Collection Modes
 Person administered: an interviewer reads
questions, either face-to-face or over the
telephone, to the respondent and records his or
her answers.
 Computer administered: the interviewer
basically verbalizes the questions while relying to
some degree on computer technology to facilitate
the interview work.

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Four Alternative
Data Collection Modes
 Self-administered: the respondent completes the
survey on his or her own.
 Mixed mode: a combination of two or more
methods

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Person-Administered Surveys
(Without Computer Assistance)
 A person-administered survey is one in which
an interviewer reads questions, either face-to-face
or over the telephone, to the respondent and
records his or her answers.

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Person-Administered Surveys
(Without Computer Assistance)
 Advantages:
 Feedback
 Rapport ‫عالقه‬
 Quality control
 Adaptability ‫تكيف‬

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Person-Administered Surveys
(Without Computer Assistance)
 Disadvantages:
 Humans make errors
 Slow speed
 High cost

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Person-Administered Surveys
(Without Computer Assistance)
 Disadvantages:
 Interview evaluation: apprehensive ‫خوف وقلق‬
they are answering the question “correctly.” Feel
they are being “evaluated.” Especially a problem
with sensitive topics such as hygiene, finances,
political opinions, etc.

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Computer-Administered Surveys
 Advantages:
 Breadth of user-friendly featuresld. ‫ميزات سهلة‬
‫االستخدام‬
 Relatively inexpensive
 Reduction of interview evaluation concern in
respondents

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Computer-Administered Surveys
 Disadvantages:
 Requires computer-literate ‫ يجيدوا القراءة والكتابة‬and
Internet-connected respondents

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Self-Administered Surveys
 A self-administered survey is one in which the
respondent completes the survey on his or her
own.
 Traditional “paper and pencil” survey

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Self-Administered Surveys
 Advantages:
 Reduced cost
 Respondents control pace at which they answer
 No interview-evaluation apprehension

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Self-Administered Surveys
 Disadvantages:
 Respondent controls the survey—does not send
in on time or does not send in.
 Lack of monitoring—no one to explain or
encourage respondents.
 High questionnaire requirements—it must be
perfect.

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Mixed-Mode (Hybrid) Surveys
 Mixed-mode surveys use multiple data collection
methods.
 It has become increasingly popular to use mixed-
mode surveys in recent years.

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Mixed-Mode (Hybrid) Surveys
 Advantages:
 Multiple advantages to achieve data collection
goal
 Example: May use online surveys to quickly
reach portion of population with Internet access
and may use telephone calling to reach those
without Internet access.

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Mixed-Mode (Hybrid) Surveys
 Disadvantages:
 Mode affects response?
 Additional complexity

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In-Home Surveys
 An in-home survey is conducted by an
interviewer in the home of the respondent.

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Person-Administered Surveys
In-Home Interview
 Key advantages:
 Conducted in the privacy of the home, which
facilitates interviewer–respondent rapport

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Person-Administered Surveys
(Without Computer Assistance)
 Primary administration method for many years
until development of communications systems
and advancement in computer technology

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Mall-Intercept Surveys
 The mall-intercept survey is one in which the
respondent is encountered and questioned while
he or she is visiting a shopping mall.

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Mall-Intercept Surveys
 Key advantages:
 Mall-intercept interviews are conducted in large
shopping malls, and they are less expensive per
interview than are in-home interviews.

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Mall-Intercept Surveys
 Key disadvantages:
 Only mall patrons ‫ زبائن‬are interviewed.
 Respondents may feel uncomfortable answering
the questions in the mall.

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In-Office Surveys
 In-office surveys take place in person while the
respondent is in his or her office or perhaps in a
company lounge area.

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7-30
In-Office Surveys
 Key advantage:
 Useful for interviewing busy executives

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In-Office Surveys
 Key disadvantages:
 Relatively high cost per interview
 Gaining access is sometimes difficult

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Central Location Telephone
Surveying
 Involves a field data collection company installing
several telephone lines at one location from which
interviewers make calls.

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Central Location Telephone
Surveying
 Key advantages:
 Fast turnaround ‫تحول سريع‬
 Good quality control
 Reasonable cost

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Central Location Telephone
Surveying
 Key disadvantage:
 Restricted to telephone communication

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CATI
 The most advanced telephone interview
companies have computerized the central location
telephone interviewing process with systems
called computer-assisted telephone interviews
(CATI).

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Computer-Administered Surveys
 Key advantages:
 Computer eliminates human interviewer error
 Simultaneous data input to computer file
 Good quality control

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Online Interviews
 The Internet-based questionnaire in which the
respondent answers questions online has become
the industry standard for surveys in virtually all
high-Internet-penetration countries.

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Fully Computerized Online Surveys
 Key advantages:
 Ease of creating and posting
 Fast turnaround
 Computer data file
 Results

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Fully Computerized Online Surveys
 Key disadvantage:
 Marketing researchers were quick to realize that
online surveys presented design challenges and
opportunities related to fostering cooperation in
potential respondents.

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Group Self-Administered Survey
 A group self-administered survey entails
administering a questionnaire to respondents in
groups rather than individually for convenience
and to gain economies of scale.

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Group Self-Administered Survey
 Key advantages:
 Cost of interviewer eliminated
 Economical for assembled groups of
respondents

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Group Self-Administered Survey
 Key disadvantage:
 Must find groups and secure permission to
conduct the survey

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Drop-Off Survey
 The drop-off survey is sometimes called “drop
and collect,” in which the survey representative
approaches a prospective respondent, introduces
the general purpose of the survey to the prospect,
and leaves it with the respondent to fill out on his
or her own.

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Drop-Off Survey
 Key advantages:
 Cost of interviewer eliminated
 Appropriate for local market surveys

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Drop-Off Survey
 Key disadvantage:
 Generally not appropriate for large-scale
national survey

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Mail Survey
 A mail survey is one in which the questions are
mailed to prospective respondents who are asked
to fill them out and return them to the researcher
by mail.

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Self-Administered Surveys
Mail Survey
 Key disadvantage:
 Nonresponse, which refers to questionnaires
that are not returned
 Self-selection bias, which means that those who
do respond are probably different from those
who do not fill out the questionnaire and return
it

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Choice of Survey Method
 In selecting a data collection mode, the researcher
balances quality against the following:
 Time available for data collection
 Money available for data collection
 Type of respondent interaction required (such
as sampling a product, viewing an ad, etc.)

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Choice of Survey Method
 In selecting a data collection mode, the researcher
balances quality against the following:
 Incidence rate ‫معدل الوصول‬: screen by online or
telephone
 Cultural/infrastructure considerations:
Scandinavian countries dislike strangers in
homes. Canada is more open. In India, <10%
have phones.

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