Survey Research Fundamentals

Data is collected from individuals through self-reported information on their thoughts, feelings, behaviors, etc.

A method of survey research that uses pre-determined questions to gather data from a large pool of individuals, typically via paper or electronic forms.

A method of survey research that involves conducting structured or unstructured conversations with individuals to gather in-depth information about their experiences, opinions, and beliefs.

A method of survey research that utilizes telephonic communication to collect data from individuals, using pre-determined questions.

A type of variable that refers to characteristics that are inherent to an individual or a group, such as their demographics, age, sex, ethnicity, education level, or income.

A form of data collection where individuals are asked to report on their own beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, and feelings regarding a specific topic or issue.

A type of data collection where participants provide information about their past behaviors, actions, or activities related to a specific topic.

A type of data collection where participants provide information about their current actions or behaviors related to a specific topic.

A method of gathering data using questionnaires or interviews to collect information from a large sample of people.

Survey research often explores relationships between variables, but cannot prove cause-and-effect.

Questions worded ambiguously or leading respondents to specific answers.

A characteristic of good survey questions, ensuring they are concise, relevant, unambiguous, specific, and objective.

Questions should be clear and avoid jargon or technical terms that respondents may not understand.

The question should only address one topic at a time, avoiding double-barreled questions that ask two things in one.

Presenting all questions in a balanced and neutral way, preventing leading questions that suggest a desired answer.

Reversing the wording of some survey items can help avoid response bias by preventing respondents from consistently agreeing or disagreeing.

A type of rating scale often used in surveys to assess the level of agreement or liking of a statement. Typically has 7 points but can also have 5 or 9 points.

Survey questions that allow participants to provide their own responses in their own words, offering more in-depth data but requiring more effort from participants and complex analysis.

The order in which questions are presented in a survey, which can influence the way participants respond. This can lead to biased results if sensitive or potentially influencing questions are placed before others.

The process of creating a well-structured and visually appealing survey that is easy to understand and complete for participants. Consider the font size, number of items per page, and readability across different devices.

The entire group of individuals that a researcher wants to learn about. This could be all 5-year-old Londoners in the example provided.

A survey item where respondents are not paying attention and consistently agree or disagree with all statements. This can create misleading results and undermine the validity of the data.

A type of survey question that allows respondents to provide an unlimited amount of text in their answers. This format encourages more detailed responses but can be difficult to analyze and categorize.

A type of survey question that provides a fixed set of response options for respondents to choose from. This format simplifies data analysis but limits the richness of the responses.

A closed-ended survey item where response options are categories or groups, such as political affiliations or demographic characteristics.

A closed-ended survey item where respondents choose a point on a numerical scale to express their opinion or attitude. The scale usually includes an equal number of points for each extreme and a midpoint representing neutrality.

The number of points on a continuous survey scale. It influences the level of detail and precision in the responses.

The labels or descriptions at the ends of a continuous survey scale, representing the extremes of the measured opinion or attitude.

The process of creating survey items that are clear, unambiguous, and unbiased. This ensures that respondents understand the question and can provide accurate and meaningful responses.

A subset of individuals selected from a larger population for a study.

The process of choosing a sample from a population.

The ability to generalize findings from a sample study to the whole population.

A type of sampling where every individual in the population has an equal chance of being selected for the study.

A type of sampling that ensures subgroups in the population are represented proportionally in the sample.

A sampling method where individuals are not chosen randomly, often leading to a biased sample that may not accurately represent the population.

A type of nonrandom sampling where participants are chosen based on their easy availability. It can lead to biased results and limit the generalizability of the study.

A type of bias where volunteers for a study differ from non-volunteers in ways that can affect the results.