1. Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited Chapter 8 Part 2 Designing Research Studies SURVEY RESEARCH: BASIC METHODS OF COMMUNICATION WITH RESPONDENTS

2. LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1.To understand when personal interviews, telephone interviews, or self-administered surveys should be conducted 2.To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews 3.To explain when door-to-door personal interviews should be used instead of mall intercept interviews 4.To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of telephone surveys What you will learn in this chapter Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–1

3. LEARNING OBJECTIVES (cont’d) 5.To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of mail, the Internet, and other means of distributing self- administered questionnaires 6.To understand how to increase response rates to mail surveys 7.To provide examples of the influence of modern technology on survey research 8.To select the appropriate survey research design 9.To discuss the importance of pre-testing questionnaires What you will learn in this chapter Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–2

4. Media Used to Communicate With Respondents Human Interactive Media and Electronic Interactive MediaHuman Interactive Media and Electronic Interactive Media  Human interactive media are a personal form of communication  Electronic interactive media allow marketers to reach a large audience, to personalize individual messages, and to interact using digital technology Non-interactive MediaNon-interactive Media  Self-administered questionnaires printed on paper are non-interactive Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–3

5. Using Interviews To Communicate With Respondents Interviews can be categorized based on the medium the researcher uses in communicating with individuals and recording dataInterviews can be categorized based on the medium the researcher uses in communicating with individuals and recording data Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–4

6. Personal InterviewPersonal Interview  Face-to-face communication in which an interviewer asks a respondent to answer questions Personal Interviews Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–5

7. The Advantages of Personal InterviewsThe Advantages of Personal Interviews  The opportunity for feedback  Probing Complex Answers  Probing: A method used in personal interviews in which the interviewer asks the respondent for clarification of answers to standardized questions  Length of Interview  Completeness of Questionnaire  Item nonresponse: Failure of a respondent to provide an answer to a survey question  Props and Visual Aids  High Participation Personal Interviews (cont’d) Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–6

8. Disadvantages of Personal InterviewsDisadvantages of Personal Interviews  Interviewer influence  Lack of anonymity of respondent  Cost Personal Interviews (cont’d) Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–7

9. Door-to-Door Interviews and Shopping Mall InterceptsDoor-to-Door Interviews and Shopping Mall Intercepts  Door-to-door interview  Personal interview conducted at respondents’ doorsteps in an effort to increase the participation rate in the survey  Callback  An attempt to recontact individuals selected for a sample who were not available initially  Mall intercept interview  Personal interview conducted in a shopping mall Personal Interviews (cont’d) Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–8

10. Global ConsiderationsGlobal Considerations  Willingness to participate in a personal interview varies dramatically around the world  The norms about appropriate business conduct also influence business people’s willingness to provide information to interviewers Personal Interviews (cont’d) Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–9

11. Telephone InterviewTelephone Interview  Personal interview conducted by telephone, the mainstay of commercial survey research Telephone Interviews Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–10

12. The Characteristics of Telephone InterviewsThe Characteristics of Telephone Interviews  Speed  Cost  Absence of face-to-face contact  Cooperation  Representative samples  Callbacks  Limited duration  Lack of visual medium Telephone Interviews (cont’d) Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–11

13. Central Location InterviewingCentral Location Interviewing  Telephone interviews conducted from a central location using WATS lines at fixed charges Central Location Interviewing Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–12

14. Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI)Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI)  Technology that allows answers to telephone interviews to be entered directly into a computer for processing Computerized Voice-Activated Telephone InterviewComputerized Voice-Activated Telephone Interview  Combining computerized telephone dialling and voice-activated computer messages to allow researchers to conduct telephone interviews without human interviewers Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–13

15. Global ConsiderationsGlobal Considerations  Different cultures often have different norms about proper telephone behaviour Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–14

16. Self-Administered QuestionnaireSelf-Administered Questionnaire  Survey in which the respondent takes the responsibility for reading and answering the questions Self-Administered Questionnaires Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–15

17. Mail QuestionnairesMail Questionnaires  Mail Survey  A self-administered questionnaire sent to respondents through the mail  Advantages and disadvantages of mail surveys:  Geographic flexibility  Cost  Respondent convenience  Anonymity of respondent  Absence of interviewer  Standardized questions  Time is money  Length of mail questionnaire Self-Administered Questionnaires (cont’d) Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–16

18. Response RateResponse Rate  The number of questionnaires returned or completed divided by the number of eligible people who were asked to participate in the survey Self-Administered Questionnaires (cont’d) Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–17

19. Increasing Response Rates for Mail SurveysIncreasing Response Rates for Mail Surveys  Cover letter  Letter that accompanies a questionnaire to induce the reader to complete and return the questionnaire  Incentives help  Interesting questions  Follow-ups  Advance notification  Survey sponsorship  Other techniques  Keying mail questionnaires with codes Self-Administered Questionnaires (cont’d) Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–18

20. Global ConsiderationsGlobal Considerations  Researchers conducting surveys in more than one country must recognize that postal services and cultural circumstances differ around the world Self-Administered Questionnaires (cont’d) Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–19

21. Self-Administered Questionnaires That Use Other Forms of Distribution Drop-off MethodDrop-off Method  A survey method that requires the interviewer to travel to the respondent’s location to drop off questionnaires that will be picked up later Fax SurveysFax Surveys  A survey that uses fax machines as a way for respondents to receive and return questionnaires E-Mail SurveysE-Mail Surveys  Surveys distributed through electronic mail Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–20

22. Self-Administered Questionnaires That Use Other Forms of Distribution (cont’d) Internet SurveysInternet Surveys  A self-administered questionnaire posted on a Web site  Advantages and disadvantages of Internet surveys:  Speed and cost-effectiveness  Visual appeal and interactivity  Respondent participation and cooperation  Representative samples  Accurate real-time data capture  Callbacks  Personalized and flexible questioning Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–21

23. Self-Administered Questionnaires That Use Other Forms of Distribution (cont’d) Internet Surveys (cont’d)Internet Surveys (cont’d)  Advantages and disadvantages of Internet surveys (cont’d):  Respondent anonymity  Response rates  Security concerns Kiosk Interactive SurveysKiosk Interactive Surveys  A computer with a touch screen may be installed in a kiosk at a trade show, at a professional conference, in an airport, or in any other high-traffic location to administer an interactive survey Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–22

24. Self-Administered Questionnaires That Use Other Forms of Distribution (cont’d) Survey Research That Mixes ModesSurvey Research That Mixes Modes  Mixed-mode survey  Study that employs any combination of survey methods Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–23

25. Selecting the Appropriate Survey Research Design To determine the appropriate technique, the researcher must ask several questions:To determine the appropriate technique, the researcher must ask several questions:  Is the assistance of an interviewer necessary?  Are respondents interested in the issues being investigated?  Will cooperation be easily attained?  How quickly is the information needed?  Will the study require a long and complex questionnaire?  How large is the budget? Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–24

26. Pre-TestingPre-Testing  Screening procedure that involves a trial run with a group of respondents to iron out fundamental problems in the survey design Pre-TestingPre-Testing Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–25

27. Many ethical issues apply to survey research:Many ethical issues apply to survey research:  Respondents’ right to privacy  The use of deception  Respondents’ right to be informed about the purpose of the research  The need for confidentiality  The need for honesty in collecting data  The need for objectivity in reporting data Ethical Issues in Survey Research Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–26