Public Relations Research Part IV: Key Research Methods (section 1)

Overview Determining research method Common PR research methods Focus Groups – Advantages/Disadvantages Surveys – Advantages/Disadvantages

What kind of research? It depends: What do you want to find out from whom? Time? Budget? Expertise – DIY vs. trained researcher? Who needs information and why?

1. Focus Groups Focused discussion led by moderator About 6-12 participants Typically a few focus groups Homogeneous group Different locations/times

Focus Groups Advantages Disadvantages Qualitative data gathering “In their own words” Valuable for exploring, understanding, testing ideas Learn new information High cost Small sample – not representative of entire population Difficult to interpret, generalize Considered subjective, not scientific, informal Difficult to quantify, chart/graph data

2. Surveys In person Mail questionnaires Online/Email Telephone

Surveys Advantages Disadvantages Formal (but can be informal), primary method Speed of data collection Convenient for respondent No geographic limitations Quantifiable results Low response rates Sample limitations Limited control on who is completing it Requires careful development Requires assessment and analytical skills to make conclusions

How many? Census v. Sample How many do you need to survey? All or some? Probability sampling v. Nonprobability sampling Random sampling – representative Determining sample size & accuracy

For Survey Credibility Reliability – How sure of your answers? Do you need 100%, or is 80% good enough? Most aim at Margin of Error - +/- 5% (if surveyed everyone, or repeat survey using sampling method) Aim at “reasonable” Confidence Level of 95% (same survey with same audience 100 times, 95 times similar results) Validity – means that the study measured what it is supposed to measure – the accuracy of the study Both require mathematical calculations

Survey Design Structure, order and types of questions Wording of questions Be careful of those socially responsible answers Always pretest with target audience “Triangulation” of methods helpful

Analysis Skill needed to analyze – although software now available making it simpler Translate results Report data

Reporting Survey Results Ethical reporting – full disclosure “The scientific survey is applicable to the city of… Persons interviewed were a scientific sample of all hourly employees…Of 1,000 surveys mailed out, 675 were returned and tabulated, a response rate of more than two-thirds or 67%. This is considered a very high response for this kind of survey…” from the Universal Accreditation Board Accreditation Study Course Coaching Guide

Please go to Part V: Key Research Methods, section 2 End of Part IV Please go to Part V: Key Research Methods, section 2