Survey Methods Types of surveys l l l

Survey Methods

Types of surveys l l l Telephone Postal Internet Face to face Written questionnaires

General points l l l All methods have pros and cons Method selected will depend on things like time and cost Written questionnaires allow greater privacy Face to face / person to person allows dialogue / clarification Quality of questions is paramount – must be precise and unambiguous: “rubbish in equals rubbish out!” The larger the sample size the better

Pilot Studies – advantages l l l A brief trial study Checks that questions are understood / elicit the information you are looking for Avoids time / money being wasted on a survey which does not ‘work’ Improves the design / sharpens the questions Results could be ‘added’ to final survey

Pilot Studies - disadvantages l l Sample size likely to be smaller than final survey so results could be misleading Time taken – the intention of the survey could be out of date by the time the sample is completed

Face to face - advantages l l Higher response rate Responses can be elaborated on Skilled interviewer can get good information by further questions Questions can be further clarified if not fully understood

Face to face - disadvantages l l l Embarrassment factor – respondents may ‘lie’ / modify answers Quality depends on the skill and commitment of the interviewer Time consuming if large enough sample size to be achieved

Postal questionnaires - advantages l l l Quite cheap / straightforward Access to wide range of people / geographical areas Respondents less likely to be ‘embarrassed’ Answers likely to be longer that ‘in the street’ surveys Results can be coded, analysed, presented in different formats

Postal questionnaires - disadvantages l l l l Time consuming waiting to receive replies Low response rate, reduces sample size No opportunity to further explain questions May not sample certain groups – e. g. homeless. Response rate will vary by social class Unless questions are asked about ethnic group / age / social class of the respondents, the sample might not be representative Some respondents will not take it seriously – don’t consider answers etc.

Postal Surveys - examples l l Lancashire County Council Hillingdon Annual Public Health Report

Internet Surveys - advantages l l l Fairly cheap option Anonymous – reduces embarrassment factor People have time to consider their answers Can access a very wide sample Answers can be entered in a form which allows them to be codified, analysed Programmes available allow internet surveys to be quickly made up

Internet Surveys - disadvantages l l Sample restricted to those with computers / internet access People may not take it seriously Age profile likely to be younger Multiple responses can affect results

Examples l Hampshire Constabulary

Telephone Surveys – advantages