SOCIOLOGY
danielajy9x
methodsdraftexample1.docx
Methods Draft
Regarding the topics of obesity and fast-food, much has been done throughout
the years as far as research; but it is very apparent that when mixing the two topics it
is hard to come up with decent research on specific populations or geographical
areas. My research question, (Do consumers in El Paso, Texas tend to prefer fast-
food restaurants that have a healthy image?) focuses on the region of the city and the
population’s preference as far as fast-food. The main bulk of the study should entail
whether the millions of dollars companies are spending on revamping their
image, in order to be perceived as healthy, is actually working in terms of increased
revenue or awareness. In my opinion as a researcher I believe this information
would provide useful advice for various businesses and be highly valuable if a
conclusion can be reached.
For these reasons my research method of choice would be an online survey.
Mainly because of the vast target population that must be reached in order to satisfy
a sufficient sample size of 500 respondents. The easy part of the survey is that
consumers of fast food are easily reached because of the fact that they are basically
everywhere. The method of attaining consumers to take the survey would be to offer
some sort of incentive such as an entrance to a raffle of various $50 gift cards to a
restaurant of choice to the winner. A flyer can be dispersed in strategic locations of
the city such as the malls or a big retailer such as different Walmart’s this would be
in order to promote the survey. In terms of demographics, consumers range in ages
12 and up and are geographically all over the city. This is the main reason an online
survey was chosen due to its reliability in terms of reach. But in order to simplify the
research process, only a sample of residents in El Paso ages eighteen and above will
be taken in order to save the researcher time and difficulty attaining permission
from parents and having to modify the survey for respondents under eighteen. The
specific target for the survey is a representative sample of El Paso residents. Comment by Leyser-Whalen, Ophra: Malls & Walmart is not representative—think about your sampling
The actual questions in the survey must also focus on qualifying respondents as
far as consumers of fast food. Also answers must be specific as to the reason a
respondent chooses to consume at a fast food restaurant over another, for this reason
both closed and open ended questions must be included in the survey. Some
examples as the most important questions are as follows:
Qualifying questions:
· How many times a week do you consume fast-food if any?
Never
Once a week
Twice a week
Three times a week
Four or more times a week
Every day of the week
N/A
· When you choosing where to consume fast-food, how important is it that the establishment have a healthy menu?
Very important
Somewhat important
N/A
Not very important
Not important at all
· When choosing where to consume fast-food, what is the most important factor in your decision making process?
Location
Healthy menu
Price
Speed of service
Other:_____________
Participants will be selected using a stratified random strategy. This strategy
was selected in order to accurately represent all major parts of the city. The
city will be split into three equal sectors which will then be allocated a number of
surveys that will be accepted as respondents for the actual research. For example
the researcher will obtain a sample of 500 meaning that each sector will be allocated
167 respondents. Various strategic locations will be chosen to disburse flyers for
each sector. Again since the population of consumers of fast food is so vast, the
researcher will not have difficulties reaching the target population. A database will
then be compiled of consumers of fast food using SPSS software.
The setting in which the research will be done will be online again through
SPSS software. All data will be compiled online in a manner in which the researcher
will be able to analyze the bulk of the data. In order to analyze the data, the
researcher will first calculate and disqualify outlier which is a very simple process
through the use of the software. After this, the researcher will then be able to
calculate regressions and correlations between the questions which should then
give us insight as to whether or not consumers prefer a fast food restaurant with a
healthy menu/image.
The pros to this method are that through the use of the software, numbers will
determine whether or not the data points to a specific trend, so it is easy to come up
with conclusions as to what is happening within the population. Also, the online Comment by Leyser-Whalen, Ophra: I wouldn’t make this assumption!
survey method is very easy to distribute due to the use of flyers to promote it which
will give the researcher a higher response rate then if the survey was just sent out
online randomly. Although the response rate is low for this particular form of survey,
the researcher will be able to disburse flyers to as many people as deemed fit in
order to reach the target sample of 500 respondents. Also this method is very cost
effective compared to other methods.
The cons to this method are that validity is an issue due to the inflexibility of
surveys in general. Some people may feel compelled to choose an answer which
may not fully explain what is going on. Also when dealing with sensitive topics such Comment by Leyser-Whalen, Ophra: Are you asking about obesity??
as obesity, respondents may not feel comfortable enough to select the response that
truly represents them in fear it will represent them in an unfavorable manoner. An
example can be someone not wanting to admit they eat at fast-food restaurants more
than four times a week. Another disadvantage is that not everyone sees every option
or choice as the same. For example two people may view the option of “Somewhat
Important” differently, which will present issues with overall validity when coming to
a final conclusion. Comment by Leyser-Whalen, Ophra: Need to address limitations of online to those with computers.
