Survey Design Interviewing STAT 472

The Role of the Interviewer Interviews to gather information occur in many settings (Employers interview prospective employees, medical personnel interview patients, … etc) Survey research interviewing is a specialized kind of interviewing. Its goal is to obtain accurate information from another person An important problem for interviewers is that many respondents are unfamiliar with the survey respondents' role

They obtain Cooperation and build rapport Yet remain neutral and objective They encroach on the respondents' time and privacy for information that may not directly benefit the respondents They try to reduce embarrassment, fear, and suspicion so that respondents feel comfortable revealing information They may explain the nature of survey research or give hints about social roles in an interview. Good interviewers monitor the pace and direction of the social interaction as well as the content of answers and the behavior of respondents Survey interviewers are nonjudgmental and do not reveal their opinions, verbally or nonverbally (e.g., by a look of shock)

If the survey interviewer must be neutral and objective, why not use a robot or machine?  Machine interviewing has not been successful because it lacks the human warmth, sense of trust, and rapport that an interviewer creates.  An interviewer helps define the situation and ensures that respondents have the information sought, understand what is expected, give relevant answers, are motivated to cooperate, and give serious answers. The interview is a social interaction in which “the behavior of both interviewer and respondent stems from their attitudes, motives, expectations, and perceptions.