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rm5.11_survey_data.ppt
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Chapter 11: Survey Data

  • Overview:
  • Identify the different types of questions used in survey research
  • Be aware of the many threats to validity inherent to the survey research process
  • Identify how the sampling strategy should be represented in the resulting data
  • Identify factors to reduce sample attrition
  • List benefits and weakness of each type of survey medium

Why Survey

  • Survey research is primarily used to gather data
  • From either participants in a system
  • Or consumers of a program / policy (citizens)
  • Could be consumers of a product
  • That either do not exist or are available in another form

General Surveying Rules

  • Avoid Value-Laden Questions
  • “How should the City of Ventura best control & monitor lawn watering”? Answers are three various policies
  • No Double-Barreled Questions
  • “Do you agree with the following statement: The Thousand Oaks Police Department Officers are both well trained and well equipped”. Yes/NO
  • Watch Out for Loaded Language
  • “How often in one week do you use illegal drugs”?
  • Avoid Jargon
  • “Given existing legislation which fish and invertebrate barrier mechanisms do you believe is most useful to reduce the spread of Dreissena polymorpha in existing finfish onshore aquaculture sites”?

Types of Data Typically Collected by Survey

  • Indicator Variables
  • Demographic, geographic, organizational affiliation
  • Open-ended Questions
  • No structure on the answer “Why does…”
  • Likert-type Questions
  • Provide a statement
  • Ask for their agreement or disagreement on scale 1-5
  • 1 = strongly agree
  • 2 = agree
  • 3 = neutral
  • 4 = disagree
  • 5 = strongly disagree

More Types of Data Typically Collected by Survey

  • Grouped Data Questions (categories are provided)
  • Example, when asking income or age
  • $15,000 – 30,000 / 18-25 years old
  • $30,000 – 45,000 / 26 - 40
  • Single and Multiple Response Questions
  • “Check a box”
  • “Mark all that apply”
  • Continuous Data Questions
  • Best, most versatile, kind of data to have
  • Usually hard to collect with a survey (age is easy example)

Techniques for Data Collection Using Surveys

  • Embedded experiments
  • Embedding “tests” within your survey
  • Validity and Bias Tests
  • You can increase validity by:
  • Using established questions
  • Use multiple measure of your “construct” (internal validity)
  • Beta-test the question

Important Issues to Consider When Employing Surveys

  • Question Location
  • “Hard” questions later in the survey
  • Survey Mediums
  • In-person: very time consuming
  • Telephone: once the standard, still done, less so
  • Mail: expensive
  • Electronic: becoming more and more common
  • Incentives
  • Gift cards “bribes”

Strengths of Survey Data

  • Speed of data capture
  • Capturing data otherwise not available
  • Generating “bridging” data to enhance the value of existing data

Weaknesses of Survey Data Collection

  • Response Rates
  • 25% still ok for validity
  • Item Nonresponse
  • Respondents “skip” a question
  • Attrition
  • If you are collecting surveys overtime (longitudinal data), sometimes people move, die, etc.
  • Test Effect