survey research method

7/28/2019 Survey Research Method

1/23

What is a Survey ?

ASurvey collects information

Is a Census from all the populationIs aPollif for political information

Is aSample Survey if from just a sampleof a population


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Conditions for a Survey

Answer the Objectives

Be Unbiased, Accurate Be Generalizable

Be Ethical Be Economical


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Before a Survey

Define the Questions to be answer.

Define the Sampling strategy.

Design and Test the Questionnaire.

Train the field workers.

Define the technique for

crossvalidation.

Define the final Analysis.


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During the Survey

- Verify and crossvalidate the Questionnaire

- Check Time table and Budget

After the Survey

- Crosscheck again all the data

- Perform the main analysis

- Perform any exploratory data analysis.


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The Question

The first task is to clearly and

concisely define the MainQuestion of interest as well as

the Target Population of the

study.


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Sampling Unit

The individualA family

A group, i.e. a class.

Sampling Frame

Existing listingNew listing


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Define the Precision or Tolerated errorof the estimates : 1% , 5%.

Are there any Nuisance factor to be

accounted for, which ones are important?


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Stratification

Sample size proportional to strata size

Equal sample sizes from all strata Sample size inversely proportional to

strata variability.


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Multiple Steps Sampling

Big Units

2nd Units

Sampling

Units


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Questionnaire

Short and Concise

Open Questions

Multiple choice

Yes/No


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Internal Validity

How to check if the subject

answers truthfully?- Ask the same question twice?Marital status

Spouse age

- Check frequency versus known data


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External validity

Are the appropriate questions asked?

Are the questions understandable by

all the subjects in the sample.


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Study of Trends

Cohort

Panel

same same

same

same

new

new


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Interviewers in Follow

Up Studies

Preferably be the same. If not the training must be the same.

They must be comparable

.


15/23

Preparing for Validation

Lists of valid responses for each

question.

Define code for: Missing values.

Not applicable.

Do not know. Automatically set the Not applicable

based on some previous question.


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Definition of the Analysis

Specific Objective 1- Test to answer specific

objective 1. Specific Objective 2

- Test to answer specific

objective 2.

Secondary objectives

- Test to investigate secondary


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During the Survey

Collect questionnaires daily.

Check yesterday questionnaires for

missing or invalid answers.

Re-interview invalid questionnaires


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The Time Table

The often forgotten tasks. Is the number of answered

questionnaires according to thepredicted for this date?.

Is more time needed to fill up the

required number of questionnaires?

Are more interviewers needed to

complete the task in time?


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The Interim View

Crosstabulate the descriptor variables.i.e. age, gender, occupation, etc.

Are they similar to the known ( orassumed) distribution in the population?

Are we getting a representative or a

biased sample?.

Do we need more advertising of the

study in some sectors of the population?


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After the Survey

Check for outliers in all variables,

both singly and in logical pairs. Are the distributions and

scattergrams plausible ?

Decide whether to impute or to

eliminate the clear mistakes.


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Statistical Analysis

Main Analysis

Description of the sample

Predefined Main Statistical analysis

Statistical significance of results

Exploratory AnalysisDescribe test / procedure used

Report results


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The Report List of Objectives.

Objectives achieved.

Sample size estimated.

Response rate in the sample.

Main Statistical Analysis.

Results with significance or ConfidenceInterval of estimators.

Statistical Power of the tests performed.

Results of the Exploratory Data Analysis

C l i


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Conclusions What was achieved.

Did the main Analysis agree withpredictions and if not why?

Interpretation of the results of the mainAnalysis.

Were any new hypothesis generated bythe EDA.

Interpretation of the findings by theEDA.

Ideas for new research.

survey research method

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