Chapter 10 Flashcards
Survey Distribution methods
- direct mail
- telephone
- online
- personal interview
Mail surveys
Send questionnaire by regular mail to a sample of individuals, completed questionnaires returned by mail
low response rate is a problem (shoot for at least
40-50%)
Telephone surveys
Human or robot asks a series of questions,
Online surveys
no printing cost or postage but hard to find a sampling frame, most people have several email accounts, very low response rate
Personal Interviews
Generally very expensive and time consuming but
allow interviewer to build rapport with sample members, increasing the quality of responses and chance for completion
How can a researcher overcome the problem of low response rates to mail surveys?
send several waves of mailings to aid response rate and keep list up to date
What are the strengths and weaknesses of a mail survey?
Cheap but low response rate
How does a researcher prepare interviewers for telephone surveys?
must read introduction well to encourage participation
What are the strengths and weaknesses of telephone surveys?
Strengths
- response rates to properly done surveys have been good
- data can be gathered quickly
Weaknesses
- duplicates, lots of people have multiple phones
- inability to use visuals and other interview aids is limiting
- researcher has no control over interview environment
What are the two types of personal interviews?
- Unstructured, in-depth interviews during which interviewers ask broad questions and respondents are free to respond as they wish.
- Structured interviews in which interviewers ask forced-response questions in a predetermined order and during which the interviewer and respondents are not allowed much freedom
Where are personal interview surveys carried out?
face-to-face in people’s homes, offices or at other convenient locations such as shopping malls
