Chapter 8 Data Collection Primary Data 2005 ThomsonSouthWestern

Chapter 8 Data Collection: Primary Data © 2005 Thomson/South-Western 1

Figure 1: Choices when Collecting Primary Data Communication Degree of Structured Unstructured Degree of Disguised Undisguised Method of Administration Observation Personal Interview Telephone Interview Mail Questionnaire Degree of Structured Unstructured Degree of Disguised Undisguised Setting Method of Administration Natural Contrived Human Mechanical 2

Figure 2: Structure and Disguise in Communication Methods Structured Undisguised Disguised Unstructured Typical Questionnaire (very frequently used) Interviews Open-Ended Questions least used Motivation Research Word Association Sentence Completion Story Telling 3

Primary Data: Overview • Types of Primary Data: – – – – • Demographic / Socioeconomic Characteristics Psychological / Lifestyle Characteristics Attitudes / Opinions Awareness / Knowledge Intentions Motivation Behavior Qualities of Primary Data: – Versatility – Business logistics: speed and cost – Data quality: objectivity and accuracy • Two Classes of Primary Data – Observation – Communication 4

Behavior Checklist Purchase Use Behavior What How Much How Where When Who 5

Primary Communication Methods of Data Collection: Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages Disadvantages Mail * May be only method able to reach respondent * Sampling frame easily developed when mailing lists are available *Not subject to interviewer bias *Very little control in securing response from specific individual *Cannot secure response from illiterates *Cannot control speed of response; long response time *Respondents work at their own pace *Researcher cannot explain ambiguous *Assures anonymity of respondent *Does not allow probing with openended *Wide distribution possible *Best for personal, sensitive questions *Generally least expensive questions *Difficult to change sequence of questions *Sequence bias; respondents can view 6 entire

Primary Communication Methods of Data Collection: Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages Telephon e *Relatively low cost *Wide distribution possible *Interviewer supervision is strong; less interviewer bias *Relatively strong response rates (much higher than mail surveys) *One of quickest methods of data collection *More difficult than with personal interviews to determine that appropriate respondent is being interviewed *Less difficulty and cost in handling “call backs” than in-home interviewer Disadvantages *Difficult to establish representative sampling frame due to unlisted numbers *Cannot use visual aids *More difficult to establish rapport over the telephone than in person *Does not handle long interview well in most cases *Subject to some degree of interviewer bias (but much less than with personal interview) *Allows easy use of computer support *Sequence of questions is easily 7

Primary Communication Methods of Data Collection: Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages Disadvantages In-Home Personal Interview * Probably highest response rate *Generally narrow distribution *Best for getting response from specific, *Interviewer supervision and control difficult to maintain identified person *Allows use of any type of question/ questionnaire *Sequencing of questions is easily changed *Often difficult to identify individuals to include in sampling frame *Generally most expensive method of administration *Allows probing of open-ended questions *Costly to revisit “not-at-homes” *Allows clarification of ambiguous questions *Relatively slow method of administration Mall easy Intercept *Permits use of visuals *Subject to interviewer bias Same Advantages as In-Home Interview, PLUS: *Less expensive than in-home interview * Sample control is more difficult than with in-home personal interview in terms of identifying a representative sample *Much better interviewer supervision and control than in-home interview *Interviews typically need to be shorter than in-home interview * Relatively short project completion time 8

Primary Communication Methods of Data Collection: Advantages and Disadvantages Advantages Disadvantages Internet * Very fast turnaround * Very inexpensive *Fairly versatile (e. g. , can show print ads, beauty shots of products, can play music, video, in addition to survey) *Survey responses automatically entered into a data file *Sample is still not “representative” of general consumer markets (U. S. or worldwide) *Response rates are dropping as novelty declines *Respondents may have concerns with privacy *International sample possible 9

Figure 3: Comparing Methods of Survey Administration HIGHLY VERSATILE LIMITED phone mail fax email web personal (e. g. , mall, home) LOW COST HI COST personal fax phone mail web email SLOW mail personal fax phone web email FAST TURNAROUND 10

Comparing Methods of Administering Questionnaires 11

Table 7: Comparing Mall and E-Panels: Demographics are starting to look similar: Responses to marketing questions show: 1) strong consistency (reliability measured as the correlation between responses over two survey occasions) and 2) correlations between sample methodologies suggests modality is not critical and should not create bias household size average employed white male college mall tests 2. 8 40. 5 71% 86% 20% 40% internet tests 2. 9 39. 2 72% 88% 21% 43% panel members 3. 0 37. 2 69% 89% 15% 46% Correlation between Responses: purchase intent frequency. 94 liking price / value mall vs. internet. 86. 97. 85. 90 internet test/retest reliability. 94. 91. 99 12

Table 7, continued Other Comparative Observations Time survey took to administer Internet 12. 5 Phone 19. 4 minutes Upon completion, would respondent participate in future studies? 35% yes 26% yes More experienced Internet Users x Used rating scale extreme “endpoints” more frequently x Jeff Miller and Alan Hogg “Internet vs. Telephone Data Collection” Burke White Paper series 2 (4) (www. burke. com). Also see Ashok Ranchhod and Fan Zhou “Comparing Respondents of E-Mail and Mail Surveys, ” Marketing Intelligence & Planning 19 (2001), 254. 13