What is Survey Method?

A Survey is referred to as a research method that is used for sourcing data from a pre-defined group of respondents to get information and perceptions on different topics of interest. Surveys can be used for several things and can be done in different ways depending on the methodology selected, and what it is being used for.

The data is generally gotten through the use of standard procedures whose aim is to ensure that each respondent can provide the answers to the questions asked in an unbiased way so as not to influence the results of the research.

A survey entails asking people for information with a questionnaire that can be distributed on paper, although with the arrival of modern tools and technologies, it is more common to share them using digital media and tools like social networks, email, QR codes, Google forms or website links.

Types of Survey

We have different kinds of surveys you can use to source for information. Usually, the types of surveys are broadly grouped into two: according to instrumentation and the period involved. Questionnaire and interview are the types of the survey according to instrumentation and cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys according to the period involved.

(1) Questionnaires

Usually, a questionnaire is a paper-and-pencil tool that is distributed to the respondents. The common questions found in questionnaires are closed-ended questions, which are followed by options to choose from. Also, we have open-ended questionnaires that need to be filled with their answers.

Questionnaires have enjoyed continuous growth over the years. Today, questionnaires are used in several survey methods, according to how they are administered. These methods include the self-administered, the group-administered, and the household drop-off.

Among these three, the self-administered survey method is mostly used by researchers in recent times. The self-administered questionnaires are popular, like the mail survey method. However, since the response rates of mail have reduced, questionnaires are now usually distributed online in the way of web surveys.

The questionnaire method is proper for market or customer research, but it limits the researcher’s understanding of the answers and requires a big budget for long questionnaires.

(2) Interviews

Between the two widely used types of surveys, interviews are a little bit personal and inquisitive. Questionnaires do not offer the freedom to ask follow-up questions to understand the answers of the respondents, but interviews do.

An interview involves two persons – the researcher as the interviewer who asks the questions, and the respondent as the interviewee who answers the questions. Also, different survey methods use interviews. Examples are personal or face-to-face interviews, phone interviews, and recently, online interview.

The interview method is excellent because it allows you to ask questions about answers you don’t understand though it tends to take a lot of time and effort in getting the responder’s details or contacts.

 According to the Span of Time Involved

The period required to wrap up a survey brings us to the two types of surveys, which are cross-sectional and longitudinal.

(1) Cross-Sectional Surveys

When you want to collect information from the respondents at once, you make use of the cross-sectional type of survey. Cross-sectional surveys normally use questionnaires to ask about a unique topic at one point in time. For example, a researcher in the US carried out a cross-sectional survey asking teenagers’ opinions on cigarette smoking in May 2018.

Sometimes, cross-sectional surveys are used to highlight the relationship between two variables, like in a comparative study. An example of this is distributing a cross-sectional study about the relationship between depression and cigarette smoking among teenagers in May 2018.

(2) Longitudinal Surveys

When the researcher tries to get information for a period of time, he is carrying out a longitudinal survey. The objective of longitudinal surveys is to get data and evaluate the changes in the data gathered. Longitudinal surveys are utilized in cohort, panel, and trend studies.

Advantage of Surveys

(1) High Representativeness

Surveys offer a higher level of getting great results. Because of the number of people that respond to the survey, the data being sourced has a better explanation of the relative features of the general population involved in the research. When compared with options of gathering data and information, surveys almost always paint the right picture.

(2) Low Costs

Surveys don’t gulp too much as you only need to pay to produce the questionnaires. If you need a lot of people to respond, you can add a little incentive that won’t affect your finances, and it can be as low as $1.  But then, other data gathering methods like focus groups and personal interviews, need researchers to pay more if they want to get the right info.

(3) Convenient Data Gathering

Surveys can be distributed to the respondents in different ways. The questionnaires can simply be distributed through e-mail or fax or the Internet. Presently, the online survey method has been the most used way of gathering data from target responders. Apart from the convenience of data gathering, researchers can get data from people all over the world in a fast and efficient way.

(4) Concise Results

The questions in the survey should go through careful examination and due process and should provide the same definitions to all the respondents who are to answer the questionnaires. Hence, there is an exceptional precision in terms of evaluating the data gathered.

Disadvantages of Survey Method

(1) Rigid Design

The survey and method that was used by the researcher from the start cannot be altered all through the process of data gathering. Although this rigidness can be seen as a weakness of the survey method, it can be a strength when you think about how precise and fair the process is

(2) Not Suitable for Controversial Topics

Questions that relate to controversies may not be precisely answered by the respondents because of the difficulty in remembering and understanding the information offered to them. The truth behind these controversies may not be revealed accurately, like when you use other methods like interviews and face to face methods.

(3) A possible Mistake of Questions

Questions in surveys are always checked before being distributed to the respondents. Hence, the researcher is forced to structure questions that can be understood by anyone. However, these easy and general questions may not be okay for all responders as envisaged.

Conclusion

Survey is an essential tool to get information and data from people, and it is necessary always to remember that when you ask survey questions based on previous events and experience, you will need to depend and trust on the memory of the respondents. This is an “assumed” variable in any survey that seeks to know how to understand the respondent’s answers and generate accurate results.

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