The Survey Process: The Basics of Survey Design January 21, 2011

Objectives By the end of this meeting, you should be able to: Explain the relevant considerations when designing a survey.

Starting a Survey When one creates a survey it is important to think about how the survey will be used. If you are creating a survey under a contract, such as a political pollster, the reason for the survey is likely spelled out in advance If you are creating a survey as an academic, the reasons may be entirely your own

Key Concepts Statement of Objectives Hypothesis/Hypotheses What do you want to study? Why do you want to study it? Hypothesis/Hypotheses Operationalization of Concepts *very important* Alternative Explanations Inductive versus Deductive Theory Deductive- hypothesis leads to theory to tests Inductive- observing relationships directly

Designing a Survey What population do you want to study? Young people (18-30)? Homosexuals? Retirees? Students? Who should be interviewed? Voters? Likely voters? Possible voters? Eligible voters? High school students? High school dropouts? Private school students?

Designing a Survey Are repeat interviews necessary? Do you want a snapshot or to view change over time? How should the data be collected? Self-reported versus direct observation Orally? Written? How hard do you try to find non-responses?

For Next Time: Read WKB Chapter 3 Turn-in answers for questions 1, 4, & 6 from pp. 75-76