6 Survey Design

Survey research is one of the most ubiquitous forms of research, Seemingly we see questions being asked everywhere.  However, let’s think specifically about surveys for research purposes rather than about forms for collecting information for administrative or other purposes (although what we know about surveys can help make better forms).

Fundamentally, surveys are a structured form of data collection that relies on self-reports. That is, the information comes from the respondent, not from the interviewer, observation or unstructured processes such as ethnography or unstructured or semi-structured open-ended interviews.  This has to be kept in mind at all times when working with survey data: it is always about the participant.  That is to say, people can have their perceptions and it is important to understand their perceptions, but that is not the same thing as understanding what is actually happening.

Of course sometimes we break this pattern and add open ended questions and even ask an interviewer to make some observations as part of the study (like what was their perception of the attitude of the participant towards the survey?).

There are many different formats for quesitons and we will take a look at a few of them. But let’s dive into the overview first.

Readings from

This (Fink) is the book we use in sociology 303 (Advanced Reseaerch Methods.  It takes you through the entire survey process.  For this unit Chapters 1-3 are key, but the section on sampling we will cover in more depth later.