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Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9e Chapter 9: Survey Research

Chapter Objectives (1 of 2)

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to

1. Explain how survey research involves the administration of questionnaires in a systematic way to a sample of respondents selected from some population.

2. Describe how survey research is especially appropriate for descriptive or exploratory studies of large populations.

3. Describe examples of surveys as the method of choice for obtaining victimization and self-reported offending data.

4. Summarize the differences between open-ended and closed-ended questions, and provide examples of the advantages and disadvantages of each.

5. Describe how bias in questionnaire items encourages respondents to answer in a particular way or to support a particular point of view.

Chapter Objectives (2 of 2)

6. Describe different ways to administer questionnaires, and provide examples of how they can be varied.

7. Explain why it is important for interviewers to be neutral in face- to-face surveys.

8. Describe the advantages and disadvantages of each method of survey administration.

9. Discuss how survey data can be somewhat artificial and potentially superficial.

10. Explain how specialized interviews with a small number of people and focus groups are different from surveys as examples of collecting data by asking questions.

Burnout among Criminal Justice Professionals (1 of 2)

• The term “burnout” is used to characterize the consequences of chronic stress and high ideas in helping professions.

• The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) is the most common instrument for assessing burnout.

• Questionnaire is good example of conceptualization and operationalization of concepts like emotional exhaustion and depersonalization.

• Disadvantages include cost due to copyright, its broad scale definition of workers, and the length of assessment.

Burnout among Criminal Justice Professionals (2 of 2)

• Due to disadvantages of MBI, researchers have developed additional survey instruments to measure burnout, like the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OBI).

• The National Academy of Medicine maintains a website with an overview of validated instruments for workplace well-being for medical professionals.

• Demonstrates it is better to modify existing instrument with established validity and reliability than to start with no base

https://nam.edu/valid-reliable-survey-instruments-measure-burnout-well-work-related-dimensions/

Michael G. Maxfield, Earl R. Babbie, Amie Schuck , Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9 Edition. © 2025 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 66 Michael G. Maxfield, Earl R. Babbie, Amie Schuck , Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9 Edition. © 2025 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

Introduction

• Survey research is perhaps the most frequently used mode of observation in sociology and political science, and is often used in criminal justice research as well.

• Our discussion of survey research will include

• What topics are most appropriate for survey methods

• How to ask people questions for research purposes

• How to administer a questionnaire

• How to use specialized interviewing techniques

Michael G. Maxfield, Earl R. Babbie, Amie Schuck , Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9 Edition. © 2025 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 88 Michael G. Maxfield, Earl R. Babbie, Amie Schuck , Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9 Edition. © 2025 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

Topics Appropriate to Survey Research

• Surveys have a wide variety of uses in basic and applied criminal justice research.

• May be used for descriptive, explanatory, exploratory, and applied research

• Best suited for studies with individual people as units of analysis, but may be used with others such as household or organizations

• A respondent is the individual or informant who answers the survey questions.

Counting Crime

• Asking people about victimization is a measure of crime that counters problems of data collected by police.

• Survey measures do have their own shortcomings:

• Error

• Reluctance to discuss victimization with interviewers

• Victim surveys are an important source of data about the volume of crime in the U.S. and other countries.

Self-Reports

• Self-Reports are surveys that ask people about the crimes they have committed.

• Dominant method for studying the etiology of crime

• Two applications

• Frequency/type of crimes committed

• Prevalence (how many people commit crimes) committed by a broader population

Perceptions and Attitudes

• Surveys are also used to learn how people feel about crime and CJ policy.

• The General Social Survey

• Began in 1972

• Survey of social indicators in the U.S.

• Used to explain perceptions of crime and crime problems, the fear of crime, and its behavioral consequences

Targeted Victim Surveys

• Targeted victim surveys are important tools in the evaluation of policy innovations and program success.

• Conduct targeted victim surveys before and after introducing the policy or program

• Community victim surveys permit for assessment of local crime prevention programs, whereas the National Crime Victimization Survey cannot due its design to represent the national population of persons who live in households.

Other Evaluation Uses & General-Purpose Crime Surveys

• Other types of surveys may be appropriate for applied studies.

• Example: Evaluate policy that seeks to change attitudes, beliefs, or perceptions.

• Chicago Community Policing Evaluation Consortium

• General-purpose crime surveys are designed for more than one purpose.

• Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW)

• National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)

Discussion Question Activity 1

• What type of survey do you think collects the best data about crime: self-report surveys, attitude/perception surveys, targeted victim surveys, or general crime surveys?

• Why? What types of ideas, concepts, or data are most important for us to understand crime or criminal activity?

Michael G. Maxfield, Earl R. Babbie, Amie Schuck , Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9 Edition. © 2025 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 1616 Michael G. Maxfield, Earl R. Babbie, Amie Schuck , Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9 Edition. © 2025 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

Guidelines for Asking Questions

Guidelines for Asking Questions (1 of 4)

• How questions are asked is the single most important feature of survey research.

• Questionnaires are instruments specifically designed to elicit information that will be used for analysis.

• Open-Ended and Close-Ended Questions

• Open-ended: Respondent is asked to provide his or her own answer

• Closed-ended: Respondent selects an answer from a list

• Choices should be exhaustive and mutually exclusive.

Guidelines for Asking Questions (2 of 4)

• Questions and Statements

• Likert scales enable researchers to measure extent to which respondents hold a particular attitude or perspective.

• Both questions and statements can be used as questionnaire items.

• Response example: strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree

• Make Items Clear

• Avoid ambiguous questions.

• Do not ask “double-barreled” questions.

Guidelines for Asking Questions (3 of 4)

• Short Items are Best

• Respondents should be able to read an item quickly, understand its intent, and select or provide an answer without difficulty.

• Avoid Negative Terms

• Negative terms often lead to misinterpretation.

• Avoid Biased Items and Terms

• The meaning of a given response to a question depends in large part on the wording of the question.

• Do not ask questions that encourage a certain answer.

Guidelines for Asking Questions (4 of 4)

• Designing Self-Report Items

• Social desirability is a particular problem for self-report crime questions.

• May guard against social desirability with careful questionnaire construction

• Offenders may be hesitant to answer questions about committing crimes due to potential legal consequences.

• Computer-assisted interviewing (CAI)

Discussion Question Activity 2

• Using the “Guidelines for Asking Questions,” construct one open-ended and one closed-ended question. After, pair with a classmate and read them your questions. Report to your partner if you find any violations of the guidelines in their questions.

• What difficulties did you have in writing your questions?

• Was one type easier than the other? Why or why not?

• Did your partner find any issues with your questions when comparing with the guidelines?

Michael G. Maxfield, Earl R. Babbie, Amie Schuck , Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9 Edition. © 2025 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 2222 Michael G. Maxfield, Earl R. Babbie, Amie Schuck , Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9 Edition. © 2025 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

Questionnaire Construction

• Researchers must consider the format and organization of all items in a questionnaire.

• Three modes of administration

1. Self-administered

2. In-person interview

3. Phone interview

Inclusivity and the Americans with Disabilities Act

• Your survey design must permit all population members to successfully navigate and complete it.

• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination based on disability.

• Guidelines • Use high contrast to ensure text is

readable. • Do not rely on color alone to provide

information. • Use simple headings and spacing. • Clearly label fill-in-the-box questions. • Keep navigation consistent. • Have text descriptions. • Ensure survey can be completed on

different devices.

General Questionnaire Format

• Format is just as important as nature and wording of questions.

• Questionnaire should be uncluttered.

• Do not put more than one question on a line.

• Do not use abbreviated questions.

• Use multiple pages, if needed.

Contingency Questions and Matrix Questions

• Contingency Questions

• Some survey questions may be relevant to some respondents.

• These questions are contingent on the previous response.

• May be presented in several formats

• Matrix Questions

• Same set of answer categories used in multiple questions

• Advantages

• Uses space efficiently

• May be easier for respondents to complete a set of questions

• May increase the comparability of responses given to different questions

Ordering Questions in a Questionnaire

• Ordering may affect the answers given.

• Estimate the effect of question order.

• Perhaps devise more than one version.

• Begin with most interesting questions.

• End with duller, demographic data.

• Do the opposite for in-person interview surveys.

Discussion Question Activity 3

• Why do you believe it is important to end with the demographic questions in a self-administered survey, but to begin with them if conducting an in-person interview? What is the difference in these methods that might make this ordering important?

Michael G. Maxfield, Earl R. Babbie, Amie Schuck , Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9 Edition. © 2025 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 2929 Michael G. Maxfield, Earl R. Babbie, Amie Schuck , Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9 Edition. © 2025 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

Self-Administered Questionnaires

• Generally, the least expensive and easiest to complete

• Can be home-delivered, or used in tandem with mailing

• Researcher delivers questionnaire to home of sample respondent, explains the study, and then comes back later.

• Response rate is higher with delivery.

• Now often distributed and completed online

Mail Distribution and Return

• Mailed (sent and returned) survey is most common

• Questionnaire accompanied by letter of explanation

• Respondent is expected to complete questionnaire, put in envelope, and return in mail.

• Timing is important.

• Researchers must reduce the trouble it takes to return a questionnaire.

Warning Mailings and Cover Letters

• Used to increase response rates

• Warning mailings: “Address correction requested” card sent out to determine incorrect addresses and to “warn” residents to expect questionnaire in mail.

• Cover letters: Detail why survey is being conducted, why respondent was selected, why it is important to complete questionnaire.

• Include institutional affiliation or sponsorship.

Acceptable Response Rates

• Pay close attention to the response rate.

• Indicator of representativeness of the sample respondents

• High response rate lessens the chance of significant response bias.

• Acceptable response rates: 50% is adequate, 60% is good, and 70% is very good.

• A demonstrated lack of response bias is far more important than a high response rate.

Computer-Based Self-Administration

• Most common method uses a link that eventually takes respondents to a questionnaire application.

• Responses are automatically recorded, saving time and money.

• Design tools permit creation of attractive questionnaires.

• Issues

• Potential bias declines as more households gain Internet access.

• Difficulty in finding and selecting samples

• Mixed in with, or mistaken for, spam and malware

Discussion Question Activity 4

• If you administered a survey, would you use the Internet? Why or why not?

Michael G. Maxfield, Earl R. Babbie, Amie Schuck , Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9 Edition. © 2025 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 3636 Michael G. Maxfield, Earl R. Babbie, Amie Schuck , Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9 Edition. © 2025 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

In-Person Interview Surveys

• The in-person interview survey is an alternative method of collecting survey data.

• Researchers send interviewers to ask the questions orally and record the respondents’ answers.

• It is best used for complex questionnaires and other specialized needs.

• In-person surveys typically require more than one interviewer to complete all interviews with participants.

Role of Interviewer

• In-person interview surveys typically achieve higher response rates than mail surveys (80–85% is considered good).

• The presence of the interviewer decreases the number of “don’t know” and “no answer” responses.

• The interviewer can help with respondents with confusing questionnaire items.

• The interviewer may also observe and ask questions of the respondent.

General Rules for Interviewing

• The appearance and demeanor of interviewer should be appropriate.

• Interviewer should be familiar with questionnaire and ask questions precisely.

• The interviewer may probe for additional responses.

• For example: “How is that?” or “In what ways?”

• The probe must be completely neutral and not affect the nature of the response.

• Probes may be written ahead of time to aid in uniformity of probes used by the different interviewers.

Discussion Question Activity 5

• If you were interviewed as part of a research project, how would you expect the researchers to behave?

Coordination and Control

• When more than one interviewer administers a survey, it is essential the efforts be coordinated and controlled carefully by

• Training the interviewers

• Supervising them after they begin work

• Interviewers should understand the questionnaire and be clear on procedures to select respondents.

• Training should include practice sessions.

Computer-Assisted In-Person Interviews (1 of 2)

• Marked increase in use of computers for administering in-person interviews

• Two forms of CAI used in the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW)

• Computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI): Interviewers read questions from screens and then type in answers from respondents.

• Computer-assisted self-interviewing (CASI): Respondent keys in answers, which are scrambled so that interviewer cannot access them.

Computer-Assisted In-Person Interviews (2 of 2)

• Advantages

• More productive than other methods

• Quick responses automatically collected as data

• Breaks monotony of long interview • Can be programmed in different

languages • Can be audio-supplemented to

produce standardized interview

• Disadvantages

• Requires more up-front technical work

• May be difficult to audit or require special technical skills to do so

• Computers are more vulnerable than printed questionnaires to malfunctions

Michael G. Maxfield, Earl R. Babbie, Amie Schuck , Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9 Edition. © 2025 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 4444 Michael G. Maxfield, Earl R. Babbie, Amie Schuck , Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9 Edition. © 2025 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

Phone Surveys

• Phone surveys are fast and relatively inexpensive.

• Interviewer dress has no effect on respondent’s answers.

• May use random-digit dialing

• Alleviates unlisted number problem

• Often results in business, pay phones, fax lines

• Provides safety for interviewer

• May be interpreted as bogus sales calls; ease of hang-ups

• Response rates have declined from 36% in 1997 to 6% in 2018

Discussion Question Activity 6

• If a researcher called your landline or mobile and asked you to participate in a survey over the phone, would you agree to do it? Why or why not?

Michael G. Maxfield, Earl R. Babbie, Amie Schuck , Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9 Edition. © 2025 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 4747 Michael G. Maxfield, Earl R. Babbie, Amie Schuck , Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9 Edition. © 2025 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

Comparison of the Three Methods

• Self-administered questionnaires are generally cheaper, better for sensitive issues than interview surveys.

• Using mail: Local and national surveys cost the same.

• Interviews: More appropriate when respondent literacy may be a problem, produce fewer incompletes, achieve higher completion rates.

• Validity low, reliability high in survey research

• Surveys are also inflexible, superficial in coverage.

Michael G. Maxfield, Earl R. Babbie, Amie Schuck , Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9 Edition. © 2025 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 4949 Michael G. Maxfield, Earl R. Babbie, Amie Schuck , Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9 Edition. © 2025 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Survey Research

Strengths and Weakness of Survey Research

Strengths

• Tend to be high on reliability and generalizability

• Particularly useful in describing large populations

• Standardized questionnaires can ensure uniform responses and measurement

• Protects against respondents interpreting concepts differently

Weaknesses • Standardized questionnaire items often

represent least common denominator in assessing attitudes, orientations, circumstances, and experiences.

• Superficial coverage of complex topics • Survey research cannot readily deal

with the specific contexts of social life. • Some populations might be hard to

contact through customary sampling methods.

Michael G. Maxfield, Earl R. Babbie, Amie Schuck , Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9 Edition. © 2025 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part. 5151 Michael G. Maxfield, Earl R. Babbie, Amie Schuck , Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9 Edition. © 2025 Cengage Learning, Inc. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

Should You Do It Yourself?

• Consider start-up costs.

• Finding, training, and paying interviewers is time-consuming and not cheap, and requires some expertise.

• Mail surveys are less expensive, and can be conducted well by 1–2 persons.

• The method you use depends on your research question.

Summary

• Click the link to review the objectives for this presentation.

• Link to Objectives

Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology, 9e
Chapter Objectives (1 of 2)
Chapter Objectives (2 of 2)
Burnout among Criminal Justice Professionals (1 of 2)
Burnout among Criminal Justice Professionals (2 of 2)
Introduction
Introduction
Topics Appropriate to Survey Research
Topics Appropriate to Survey Research
Counting Crime
Self-Reports
Perceptions and Attitudes
Targeted Victim Surveys
Other Evaluation Uses & General-Purpose Crime Surveys
Discussion Question Activity 1
Guidelines for Asking Questions
Guidelines for Asking Questions (1 of 4)
Guidelines for Asking Questions (2 of 4)
Guidelines for Asking Questions (3 of 4)
Guidelines for Asking Questions (4 of 4)
Discussion Question Activity 2
Questionnaire Construction
Questionnaire Construction
Inclusivity and the Americans with Disabilities Act
General Questionnaire Format
Contingency Questions and Matrix Questions
Ordering Questions in a Questionnaire
Discussion Question Activity 3
Self-Administered Questionnaires
Self-Administered Questionnaires
Mail Distribution and Return
Warning Mailings and Cover Letters
Acceptable Response Rates
Computer-Based Self-Administration
Discussion Question Activity 4
In-Person Interview Surveys
In-Person Interview Surveys
Role of Interviewer
General Rules for Interviewing
Discussion Question Activity 5
Coordination and Control
Computer-Assisted In-Person Interviews (1 of 2)
Computer-Assisted In-Person Interviews (2 of 2)
Phone Surveys
Phone Surveys
Discussion Question Activity 6
Comparison of the Three Methods
Comparison of the Three Methods
Strengths and Weaknesses of Survey Research
Strengths and Weakness of Survey Research
Should You Do It Yourself?
Should You Do It Yourself?
Summary