Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited Chapter 8 Part 2 Designing Research Studies SURVEY RESEARCH: BASIC METHODS OF COMMUNICATION

Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited

Chapter

8

Part 2

Designing Research Studies

SURVEY RESEARCH: BASIC METHODS

OF COMMUNICATION WITH RESPONDENTS

LEARNING OBJECTIVESLEARNING OBJECTIVESLEARNING OBJECTIVESLEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. To understand when personal interviews, telephone interviews, or self-administered surveys should be conducted

2. To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of personal interviews

3. To explain when door-to-door personal interviews should be used instead of mall intercept interviews

4. To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of telephone surveys

What you will learn in this chapter

Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited 8–1

LEARNING OBJECTIVES (cont’d)LEARNING OBJECTIVES (cont’d)LEARNING OBJECTIVES (cont’d)LEARNING OBJECTIVES (cont’d)

5. To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of mail, the Internet, and other means of distributing self-administered questionnaires

6. To understand how to increase response rates to mail surveys

7. To provide examples of the influence of modern technology on survey research

8. To select the appropriate survey research design

9. To discuss the importance of pre-testing questionnaires

What you will learn in this chapter


Media Used to Communicate With Media Used to Communicate With RespondentsRespondentsMedia Used to Communicate With Media Used to Communicate With RespondentsRespondents

• Human Interactive Media and Electronic Human Interactive Media and Electronic Interactive MediaInteractive MediaHuman interactive media are a personal form of

communicationElectronic interactive media allow marketers to reach

a large audience, to personalize individual messages, and to interact using digital technology

• Non-interactive MediaNon-interactive MediaSelf-administered questionnaires printed on paper

are non-interactive


Using Interviews To Communicate With Using Interviews To Communicate With RespondentsRespondentsUsing Interviews To Communicate With Using Interviews To Communicate With RespondentsRespondents

• Interviews can be categorized based on the Interviews can be categorized based on the medium the researcher uses in communicating medium the researcher uses in communicating with individuals and recording datawith individuals and recording data


• Personal InterviewPersonal InterviewFace-to-face communication in which an interviewer

asks a respondent to answer questions

Personal InterviewsPersonal InterviewsPersonal InterviewsPersonal Interviews


• The Advantages of Personal InterviewsThe Advantages of Personal InterviewsThe opportunity for feedbackProbing Complex Answers

Probing: A method used in personal interviews in which the interviewer asks the respondent for clarification of answers to standardized questions

Length of InterviewCompleteness of Questionnaire

Item nonresponse: Failure of a respondent to provide an answer to a survey question

Props and Visual AidsHigh Participation

Personal Interviews (cont’d)Personal Interviews (cont’d)Personal Interviews (cont’d)Personal Interviews (cont’d)


• Disadvantages of Personal InterviewsDisadvantages of Personal InterviewsInterviewer influenceLack of anonymity of respondentCost



• Door-to-Door Interviews and Shopping Mall Door-to-Door Interviews and Shopping Mall InterceptsInterceptsDoor-to-door interview

Personal interview conducted at respondents’ doorsteps in an effort to increase the participation rate in the survey

Callback An attempt to recontact individuals selected for a sample

who were not available initially

Mall intercept interview Personal interview conducted in a shopping mall



• Global ConsiderationsGlobal ConsiderationsWillingness to participate in a personal interview

varies dramatically around the worldThe norms about appropriate business conduct also

influence business people’s willingness to provide information to interviewers



• Telephone InterviewTelephone InterviewPersonal interview conducted by telephone, the

mainstay of commercial survey research

Telephone InterviewsTelephone InterviewsTelephone InterviewsTelephone Interviews


• The Characteristics of Telephone InterviewsThe Characteristics of Telephone InterviewsSpeedCostAbsence of face-to-face contactCooperationRepresentative samplesCallbacksLimited durationLack of visual medium

Telephone Interviews (cont’d)Telephone Interviews (cont’d)Telephone Interviews (cont’d)Telephone Interviews (cont’d)


• Central Location InterviewingCentral Location InterviewingTelephone interviews conducted from a central

location using WATS lines at fixed charges

Central Location InterviewingCentral Location InterviewingCentral Location InterviewingCentral Location Interviewing


• Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI)Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI)Technology that allows answers to telephone

interviews to be entered directly into a computer for processing

• Computerized Voice-Activated Telephone Computerized Voice-Activated Telephone InterviewInterviewCombining computerized telephone dialling and

voice-activated computer messages to allow researchers to conduct telephone interviews without human interviewers

Computer-Assisted Telephone InterviewingComputer-Assisted Telephone InterviewingComputer-Assisted Telephone InterviewingComputer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing


• Global ConsiderationsGlobal ConsiderationsDifferent cultures often have different norms about

proper telephone behaviour

Computer-Assisted Telephone InterviewingComputer-Assisted Telephone InterviewingComputer-Assisted Telephone InterviewingComputer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing


• Self-Administered QuestionnaireSelf-Administered QuestionnaireSurvey in which the respondent takes the

responsibility for reading and answering the questions

Self-Administered QuestionnairesSelf-Administered QuestionnairesSelf-Administered QuestionnairesSelf-Administered Questionnaires


• Mail QuestionnairesMail QuestionnairesMail Survey

A self-administered questionnaire sent to respondents through the mail

Advantages and disadvantages of mail surveys: Geographic flexibility Cost Respondent convenience Anonymity of respondent Absence of interviewer Standardized questions Time is money Length of mail questionnaire

Self-Administered Questionnaires (cont’d)Self-Administered Questionnaires (cont’d)Self-Administered Questionnaires (cont’d)Self-Administered Questionnaires (cont’d)


• Response RateResponse RateThe number of questionnaires returned or completed

divided by the number of eligible people who were asked to participate in the survey



• Increasing Response Rates for Mail SurveysIncreasing Response Rates for Mail SurveysCover letter

Letter that accompanies a questionnaire to induce the reader to complete and return the questionnaire

Incentives helpInteresting questionsFollow-upsAdvance notificationSurvey sponsorshipOther techniquesKeying mail questionnaires with codes



• Global ConsiderationsGlobal ConsiderationsResearchers conducting surveys in more than one

country must recognize that postal services and cultural circumstances differ around the world



Self-Administered Questionnaires That Use Self-Administered Questionnaires That Use Other Forms of DistributionOther Forms of DistributionSelf-Administered Questionnaires That Use Self-Administered Questionnaires That Use Other Forms of DistributionOther Forms of Distribution

• Drop-off MethodDrop-off MethodA survey method that requires the interviewer to

travel to the respondent’s location to drop off questionnaires that will be picked up later

• Fax SurveysFax SurveysA survey that uses fax machines as a way for

respondents to receive and return questionnaires

• E-Mail SurveysE-Mail SurveysSurveys distributed through electronic mail


Self-Administered Questionnaires That Use Self-Administered Questionnaires That Use Other Forms of Distribution (cont’d)Other Forms of Distribution (cont’d)Self-Administered Questionnaires That Use Self-Administered Questionnaires That Use Other Forms of Distribution (cont’d)Other Forms of Distribution (cont’d)

• Internet SurveysInternet SurveysA self-administered questionnaire posted on a Web

siteAdvantages and disadvantages of Internet surveys:

Speed and cost-effectiveness Visual appeal and interactivity Respondent participation and cooperation Representative samples Accurate real-time data capture Callbacks Personalized and flexible questioning



• Internet Surveys (cont’d)Internet Surveys (cont’d)Advantages and disadvantages of Internet surveys

(cont’d): Respondent anonymity Response rates Security concerns

• Kiosk Interactive SurveysKiosk Interactive SurveysA computer with a touch screen may be installed in a

kiosk at a trade show, at a professional conference, in an airport, or in any other high-traffic location to administer an interactive survey



• Survey Research That Mixes ModesSurvey Research That Mixes ModesMixed-mode survey

Study that employs any combination of survey methods


Selecting the Appropriate Survey Research Selecting the Appropriate Survey Research DesignDesignSelecting the Appropriate Survey Research Selecting the Appropriate Survey Research DesignDesign

• To determine the appropriate technique, the To determine the appropriate technique, the researcher must ask several questions:researcher must ask several questions:Is the assistance of an interviewer necessary? Are respondents interested in the issues being

investigated? Will cooperation be easily attained? How quickly is the information needed? Will the study require a long and complex

questionnaire?How large is the budget?


• Pre-TestingPre-TestingScreening procedure that involves a trial run with a

group of respondents to iron out fundamental problems in the survey design

Pre-TestingPre-TestingPre-TestingPre-Testing


• Many ethical issues apply to survey research:Many ethical issues apply to survey research:Respondents’ right to privacyThe use of deceptionRespondents’ right to be informed about the purpose

of the researchThe need for confidentialityThe need for honesty in collecting dataThe need for objectivity in reporting data

Ethical Issues in Survey ResearchEthical Issues in Survey ResearchEthical Issues in Survey ResearchEthical Issues in Survey Research


Documents

Copyright © 2008 by Nelson, a division of Thomson Canada Limited Chapter 8 Part 2 Designing Research Studies SURVEY RESEARCH: BASIC METHODS OF COMMUNICATION