S URVEY D ESIGN 101 Gay Hylton Institutional Research and Planning

W HAT YOU ’ RE TRYING TO FIND OUT Often there is the temptation to skip on preparation in order to move to the field too rapidly. This temptation should be avoided. Ghislaine Delaine “The Social Dimensions of Adjustment Integrated Survey ”

I NFORMATION W ANTED : What information needs to be obtained to meet the objectives of the survey Strategize with stakeholders Questions that need to be answered Focus groups Has the information been gathered in the past What are the outcomes desired Will basic demographical data be required/confidential How will the information be obtained? Electronic survey Mail Telephone Interview Personal Interview Paper

I NFORMATION W ANTED : C ONTINUED Determine what correlations of the data you want to see. What will the answers to the questions allow you to determine If X then Y

W HO YOU ASK One common misconception is that the adequacy of a sample depends heavily on the fraction of the population included in a sample. Floyd J. Fowler Survey Research Methods

C HOOSING T HE P OPULATION All or representative sample Is a comparative sample needed Response rate # of responses/ # surveyed If survey needs to reflect the entire student body population of HSU, complete a survey request form at

H OW YOU ASK THE QUESTION “The goal is to have differences in answers reflect differences in where people stand on the issues, rather than differences on their interpretations of the questions.” Floyd Fowler, Improving Survey Questionnaires: Design and Evaluation

B ASICS Be aware of your own biases Use language that survey participants will understand Develop neutral questions Ask enough to cover topic adequately while keeping the survey as short as possible Pay attention to the order of questions Provide exhaustive range of response categories Write clear unbiased instructions

B ASICS - CONTINUED Order Matters Start with easy - proceed to complex Keep respondents interested Vary the question type Simple is better Avoid technical jargons or concepts Use the same definitions and scales throughout the form Watch for “double-barreled” questions Be specific

T YPES OF Q UESTIONS Multiple Choice Allow multiple responses? Ranking Scale Open Ended

S PECIFICS Multiple Choice Lists Should be exhaustive while not being too long Categories should be mutually exclusive Allow respondents to provide multiple answers when relevant When appropriate – use Other Scales Odd or Even Likert or Numeric Provide clear, concise instructions on scale meaning Order matters – Positive to Negative vs Negative to Positive Use the same scale throughout the survey

S PECIFICS - CONTINUED Open-Ended Allows for spontaneous responses Use when you don’t know the answer Analyzing the responses can be difficult and time- consuming Question Logic Will all participants answer all questions?

H OW AND W HEN TO A SK “The questionnaire is only one element of a well- done survey.” Don A. Dillman Mail and Internet Surveys – The Tailored Design Method

B EFORE Y OU S URVEY Design your communication to participants Personal or authoritarian Confidentiality? Explain the nature and reasons for the survey How it benefits them Include timeframe to answer survey

B EFORE Y OU S URVEY - C ONTINUED TEST Pilot the survey with colleagues or a small sample of the population Include all communications they will receive with the survey instrument Helps ensures the reliability and the validity of your survey For electronic surveys check for the flow of logic questions TRAIN (If survey is to be administered via telephone or personal interviewer) All interviewers need to conduct the survey in the same manner, using the same language Design response sheets that include instructions to interviewers

I NCREASING R ESPONSE R ATES “Sending questionnaires out is one thing; getting them back is quite another.” Bill Gillham Developing a Questionnaire

T IMING M ATTERS What are your target population’s habits Ask again but don’t ask too often Choose a different time to ask for each additional request

C OMMUNICATION Say please and thank you for your help Show positive regard – provide the reasons for the survey and what the results will achieve Asking for advice – “We need your input on this matter.” Subject line of – does it look like spam Does it need to come from an authoritative source or a personal approach

T OOLS All tools have intrinsic politics and technology is the tool of now. Godfrey Reggio

F REE OR N OT Software Survey Monkey Zoomerang Surveygizmo And many more Design help Library – reference section “Survey Kit”, ebooks and books on survey design IRP website has some links to reference material

Q UESTIONS ? “Who questions much, shall learn much, and retain much.” Francis Bacon