Chapter 7 Survey Research: An Overview

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Chapter 7Survey Research An Overview
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LEARNING OUTCOMES
After studying this chapter, you should be able to

• Define surveys, and explain their advantages
• Describe the type of information that may be
  gathered in a survey
• Identify sources of error in survey research
• Summarize way researchers gather information
  through interviews
• Compare the advantages and disadvantages of
  conduction door-to-door, mall intercept,
  telephone, and Internet interviews
• Discuss the importance of pretesting
  questionnaires
• Describe ethical issues that arise in survey
  research

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The Nature of Surveys

• Respondents
• People who verbally answer an interviewers
  questions or provide answers to written
  questions.
• Survey
• A method of collecting primary data in which
  information is gathered by communicating with a
  representative sample of people.
• Sample Survey
• A survey that emphasizes contacting respondents
  who are a representative sample of the target
  population.

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The Nature of Surveys (contd)

• Survey Objectives Type of Information Gathered
• Surveys attempt to describe what is happening or
  to learn the reasons for a particular marketing
  activity.
• Survey research is descriptive research
• Identifying characteristics of target markets
• Measuring consumer attitudes
• Describing consumer purchasing patterns
• Surveys can be both quantitative and qualitative
• Surveys can be designed to provide insights about
  causal explanations or to explore ideas.

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The Nature of Surveys (contd)

• Advantages of Surveys
• Gathering information via surveys is
• Quick
• Inexpensive
• Efficient
• Accurate
• Flexible
• Disadvantages
• Potential Problems
• Poor design
• Improper execution

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Errors in Survey Research

• Random Sampling Error
• A statistical fluctuation that occurs because of
  chance variation in the elements selected for a
  sample.
• Systematic Error
• Error resulting from some imperfect aspect of the
  research design that causes respondent error or
  from a mistake in the execution of the research.
• Sample Bias
• A persistent tendency for the results of a sample
  to deviate in one direction from the true value
  of the population parameter.

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EXHIBIT 7.1 Categories of Survey Errors
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Respondent Error

• Respondent Error
• A category of sample bias resulting from some
  respondent action or inaction such as nonresponse
  or response bias.
• Nonresponse Error
• The statistical differences between a survey that
  includes only those who responded and a perfect
  survey that would also include those who failed
  to respond.

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Respondent Error (contd)

• Nonrespondents
• People who are not contacted or who refuse to
  cooperate in the research.
• No contacts people who are not at home or who
  are otherwise inaccessible on the first and
  second contact.
• Refusals People who are unwilling to participate
  in a research project.
• Self-Selection Bias
• A bias that occurs because people who feel
  strongly about a subject are more likely to
  respond to survey questions than people who feel
  indifferent about it.

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Response Bias

• Response Bias
• A bias that occurs when respondents either
  consciously or unconsciously tend to answer
  questions with a certain slant that misrepresents
  the truth.
• When researchers identify response bias, they
  should include a corrective measure.

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Types of Response Bias

• Acquiescence Bias
• A tendency to agree with all or most questions.
• Extremity Bias
• The tendency of some Individuals to use extremes
  when responding to questions.
• Interviewer Bias
• The presence of the interviewer influences
  respondents answers.
• Social Desirability Bias
• Bias in responses caused by respondents desire,
  either conscious or unconscious, to gain prestige
  or appear in a different social role.

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Administrative Error

• Administrative Error
• Errors in research task results due to the
  improper administration or execution of the
  research task.
• Data-processing error incorrect data entry,
  incorrect computer programming, or other
  procedural errors during data analysis.
• Sample selection error improper sample design or
  sampling procedure execution.
• Interviewer error mistakes made by interviewers
  failing to record survey responses correctly.
• Interviewer cheating filling in fake answers or
  falsifying questionnaires by an interviewer.

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Survey Research by Media

• Surveys ask a respondent for information using
  verbal or written questioning.
• There is no best form of survey each form has
  advantages and disadvantages.
• Communicating with Respondents
• Personal interviews
• Door-to-door
• Shopping mall intercepts
• Telephone interviews
• Self-administered questionnaires
• Paper surveys
• Internet surveys

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Media Used to Communicate with Respondents

• Human Interactive Media
• A personal form of communication that is a direct
  interaction between individuals or groups
• Electronic Interactive Media
• Controlled by user provides immediate feedback
• The Internet, CD-ROMs and DVDs, touch-tone
  telephones, touch-screen kiosks, and other forms
  of digital technology.
• Noninteractive Media
• Tradition forms with less flexibility
• Self-administered mail and Internet surveys

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Advantages of Personal Interviews
Opportunity for Feedback
Probing Complex Answers
High Participation
PersonalInterviews
Length of Interview
Props and Visual Aids
Completeness ofQuestionnaire
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Disadvantages of Personal Interviews
Interviewer Influence
Lack of Anonymity of Respondent
Personal Interviews
Cost
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Personal Interviews

• Door-to-Door Interview Characteristics
• Speed of data collection moderate to fast
• Geographical flexibility limited to moderate
• Respondent cooperation excellent
• Versatility of questioning quite versatile
• Questionnaire length long
• Item nonresponse low
• Possibility of respondent misunderstanding
  lowest
• Callbacks
• Attempts to recontact individuals selected for a
  sample who were not available initially.

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Personal Interviews (contd)

• Door-to-Door Interview Characteristics
• Degree of interviewer influence of answer high
• Supervision of interviewers moderate
• Anonymity of respondent low
• Ease of call back or follow-up difficult
• Cost highest due to travel costs
• Special features visual materials may be shown
  or demonstrated extended probing possible

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Personal Interviews (contd)

• Mall Intercept Interview (Shopping Center
  Sampling)
• Speed of data collection fast
• Geographical flexibility confined, urban bias
• Respondent cooperation moderate to low
• Versatility of questioning extremely versatile
• Questionnaire length moderate to long
• Item nonresponse medium
• Possibility of respondent misunderstanding lowest

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Personal Interviews (contd)

• Mall Intercept Interview (Shopping Center
  Sampling)
• Degree of interviewer influence of answers
  highest
• Supervision of interviewers moderate to high
• Anonymity of respondent low
• Ease of call back or follow-up difficult
• Cost Lower than door-to-door
• Special features taste tests, viewing of TV
  commercials possible

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Personal Interviews (contd)

• Global Considerations
• Variations in willingness to participate
• Sensitivity to interview subject matter
• Beliefs about appropriate business conduct

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Characteristics of Telephone Interviews

• Speed
• Cost
• Absence of face-to-face contact
• Cooperation
• Incentives to respond
• Representative samples
• Call backs
• Limited duration
• Lack of visual medium

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Types of Telephone Interviews

• Central Location Interviewing
• Conducting interviews from a central location
  using WATS lines at fixed charges.
• Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI)
• Allows answers to telephone interviews to be
  entered directly into a computer for processing.
• Computerized Voice-Activated Telephone Interview
• Combining computerized telephone dialing and
  voice-activated computer messages to allow
  researchers to conduct telephone interviews
  without human interviewers.

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EXHIBIT 7.2 Self-Administered Questionnaires Can
Be Either Printed or Electronic
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Self-Administered Questionnaires

• Characteristics of Mail Questionnaires
• Geographical flexibility
• Cost
• Respondent convenience
• Anonymity of respondent
• Absence of interviewer
• Standardized questions
• Time is money
• Length of mail questionnaire

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Mail Questionnaires

• Response Rate
• The number of questionnaires returned or
  completed divided by the number of eligible
  people who were asked to participate in the
  survey.
• Factors that Bias the Response Rate
• Persons who will complete questionnaires versus
  those persons who will not.
• Person filling out survey is not the intended
  subject.

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Increasing Response Rates for Mail Surveys

• Cover letter
• Money helps
• Interesting questions
• Follow-ups
• Advance notification
• Survey sponsorship
• Other techniques
• Keying mail questionnaires with codes

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EXHIBIT 7.3Example of Cover Letter for Household
Survey
Source Reprinted with permission of John Wiley
Sons, Inc.
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Self-Administered Questionnaires (contd)

• Fax Survey
• A survey that uses fax machines as a way for
  respondents to receive and return questionnaires.
• Advantages of the Fax Survey
• Reduce senders printing and postage costs
• Is quicker than traditional mail surveys
• Disadvantage of the Fax Survey
• Only respondents with fax machines who are
  willing to exert the extra effort will return
  questionnaires.

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Self-Administered Questionnaires (contd)

• E-Mail Surveys
• Surveys distributed through electronic mail.
• Benefits
• Speed of distribution
• Lower distribution and processing costs
• Faster turnaround time
• More flexibility
• Less handling of paper questionnaires
• Potential Problems
• Anonymity of respondents creating response bias
• Capacity of e-mail systems and computers
• Computer skills/competencies of respondents

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Self-Administered Questionnaires (contd)

• Internet Surveys
• A self-administered questionnaire posted on a Web
  site.
• Respondents provide answers to questions
  displayed online by highlighting a phrase,
  clicking an icon, or keying in an answer.

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Self-Administered Questionnaires (contd)

• Internet Surveys
• Speed and cost effectiveness
• Visual appeal and interactivity
• Respondent participation and cooperation
• Varies depending on web site
• Varies depending on type of sample
• When user does not opt-in or expect a voluntary
  survey, cooperation is low.
• Self-selection problems in web site visitation
  surveys participants tend to be more deeply
  involved than the average person.

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Internet Survey Design

• Welcome Screen
• The first web page in an internet survey, which
  introduces the survey and requests that the
  respondent enter a password or pin.
• Can be compared to a cover letter
• Should contain the name of the research company
  and how to contact the organization if there is a
  problem or concern.
• Example If you have any concerns or questions
  about this survey, or if you experience any
  technical difficulties, please contact (NAME OF
  RESEARCH ORGANIZATION).

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Self-Administered Questionnaires (contd)

• Internet Surveys (contd)
• Representative samples
• Accurate real-time data capture
• Callbacks
• Personalized and flexible questioning
• Respondent anonymity
• Response rates
• Security concerns

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Self-Administered Questionnaires (contd)

• Problems with Internet Surveys
• Not all individuals have internet access.
• Respondents may lack powerful computers with
  high-speed connections to the internet.
• Respondents computer skills may be relatively
  unsophisticated.

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Selecting the Appropriate Survey Research
Technique

• Questions to be answered
• 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?

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EXHIBIT 7.4 Advantages and Disadvantages of
Typical Survey Methods
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EXHIBIT 7.4 Advantages and Disadvantages of
Typical Survey Methods (contd)
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Selecting the Appropriate Survey Research
Technique (contd)

• Pretesting
• Screening procedure that involves a trial run
  with a group of respondents to iron out
  fundamental problems in the survey design.
• Basic Ways to Pretest
• Screen the questionnaire with other research
  professionals
• Have the client or the research manager review
  the finalized questionnaire
• Collect data from a small number of respondents

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Ethical Issues in Survey Research

• The American Marketing Associations code of
  ethics expresses researchers obligation to
• Protect the public from misrepresentation and
  exploitation under the guise of marketing
  research
• Protect respondents right to privacy
• Avoid the use of deception
• Inform respondents about the purpose of the
  research
• Maintain confidentiality and honesty in
  collecting data
• Maintain objectivity in reporting data

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Key Terms and Concepts

• Respondent
• Sample survey
• Random sampling error
• Systematic error
• Sample bias
• Respondent error
• Nonresponse error
• Nonrespondents
• No contacts
• Refusals
• Self-selection bias
• Response bias

• Acquiescence bias
• Extremity bias
• Interviewer bias
• Social desirability bias
• Administrative error
• Data processing error
• Sample selection error
• Interviewer error
• Interviewer cheating
• Personal interview
• Item nonresponse
• Door-to-door interview

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Key Terms and Concepts (contd)

• Mall intercept interview
• Telephone interview
• Random digit dialing
• Central location interviewing
• Computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI)
• Self-administered questionnaire
• Mail survey
• Response rate
• Cover letter
• Drop-off method
• Fax survey

• E-mail surveys
• Internet survey
• Welcome screen
• Dialog boxes
• Mixed-mode survey
• Pretesting