ASKING PEOPLE ABOUT THEMSELVES: SURVEY RESEARCH © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Compare the two ways to administer surveys: written questionnaire and oral interviews Define interviewer bias Describe a panel study Distinguish between probability and nonprobability sampling techniques © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Describe simple random sampling stratified random sampling, and cluster sampling Describe haphazard sampling, purposive sampling, and quota sampling Describe the ways that samples are evaluated for potential bias, including sampling frame and response rate © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Provides a methodology for asking people to tell about themselves To study relationships between / among variables To study how attitudes and behaviors change over time Provides useful information for making public policy decisions Important complement to experimental research findings © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Defining the Research Objectives Attitudes and beliefs Facts and demographics Behaviors Must keep it simple to avoid confusion Avoid jargon and technical terms when possible If needed, provide a brief description of the background for more complex questions © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Question Wording Potential problems that stem from difficulty understanding the question: Unfamiliar technical terminology Vague or imprecise terms Ungrammatical sentence structure Phrasing that overloads working memory Embedding the question with misleading information © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Important considerations when writing questions: Ensure simplicity Avoid: Double-barreled questions Loaded questions Negative wording Yea-saying and nay-saying © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Closed- Versus Open-Ended Questions Number of Response Alternatives Rating Scales Graphic rating scale Semantic differential scale Nonverbal scales for children   Labeling Response Alternatives © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Formatting the Questionnaire Should appear attractive and professional Neatly typed and free from errors Use point scales consistently Refining Questions Proof questions with others © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Questionnaires Personal administration to groups or individuals Mail surveys Internet surveys Other technologies “Computerized experience-sampling” © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Interviews Face-to-face interviews Telephone interviews Focus group interviews Problem: Interviewer bias © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Questions Are the Same Each Time Surveyed Tracks Changes Over Time Repeated surveys of incoming freshman at university Effects of sexual situations on TV Teen pregnancy rates Panel Study The same respondents are studied over time Helps to study the relationships between two or more variables over time © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Confidence Intervals Level of confidence that the true population value lies within an interval of the obtained sample Sampling error or margin of error Sample Size A larger sample size reduces the size of the confidence interval Must consider the cost / benefit of increasing sample size © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Two basic techniques for sampling Probability Sampling Simple random sampling Every member of the population has an equal probability of being selected Stratified random sampling Population divided into subgroups (strata) and random samples taken from each strata Cluster sampling – identify clusters and sample from three clusters © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Nonprobability Sampling—unknown probability of any member being chosen Haphazard sampling – convenience sampling Purposive sampling – sample meets predetermined criterion Quota sampling – sample reflects the numerical composition of various subgroups in the population © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Representative of the population Sampling Frame - Actual population from which the sample is drawn Response Rate - Percentage of respondents who complete Reasons for Using Convenience Samples - Less costly in terms of time and money Concerns - May not be generalizable © 2012 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.