Surveys

What is a Survey?

Why Survey? Get lots of structured information from lots of people. Simplify and standardize data collection. Use statistics to make predictions. Find out about things that can not be observed. Such as Thoughts, Emotions, Opinions, Intentions, Attitudes

why people do or do not do something. The Need to Know Why why people do or do not do something. Likes, dislikes, attitudes, behaviors, influences The Need to Know How the process consumers go through before taking some action. Decision making process The Need to Know Who Information on age, income, occupation, marital status, stage in the family life cycle, education, and other lifestyle factors is necessary to the identification and definition of market segments.

Survey Methods Personal Interview Telephone-Interview Door-to-Door (in-home), Mall-Intercept, Purchase-Intercept, Executive (office) Telephone-Interview People Computer assisted (CATI) Self-Administered Mail Survey Fax One-time vs. Panels Computer Direct Computer Interviewing Interactive voice response technology-Automated Telephone Surveys Internet

A Classification of Survey Methods TELEPHONE FACE TO FACE MAIL COMPUTER SURVEY METHODS TRADITIONAL TELEPHONE CATI POSTAL SURVEY POSTAL PANEL FAX E-MAIL INTERNET IN HOME MALL INTERCEPT CAPI DIRECT COMPUTER INTERVIEW

Personal Interviews PIT: for low involvement products (supermarket) Omnibus: same people, different surveys, one time Panel: same people, same one survey, over time Omnibus panel: same people, several different surveys, over time

Personal Interviews Advantages Can arouse and keep interest Can build rapport and enlist cooperation Ask complex questions Immediate feedback Can use visual and other aids Clarify misunderstandings High degree of flexibility Probe for more complete answers Do not need an explicit or current list of households or individuals

Personal Interviews Disadvantages: Bias of Interviewer Response Bias Embarrassing/personal questions Time Requirements Cost Per Completed Interview Is High. High refusal rate A trained staff of interviewers that is geographically near the sample is needed. The total data collection period is likely to be longer than for most procedures. High selection error – non-representative sample

Telephone Interviewing What are the Important Aspects of Telephone Interviewing? Selecting telephone numbers Pre specified list A directory Random dialing procedure Random digit dialing Systematic random digit dialing (SRDD) The introduction When to call Call reports

Telephone Interviewing Advantages: Central location, under supervision, at own hours More interviews can be conducted in a given time Travelling time is saved More hours of the day are productive Repeated call backs at lower cost Lower administrative costs/ Lower cost per completed interview Less sample bias Better access to certain populations Shorter data collection periods.

Telephone Interviewing Limitations and Disadvantages: Inability to employ visual aids or complex tasks Can't be longer than 5-10 min. or they get boring Amount of data that can be collected is relatively less A capable interviewer essential Sample bias -- Not all people have phones, or are not listed Nonresponse associated with RDD sampling is higher than with interviews Possibly less appropriate for personal or sensitive questions if no prior contact National Do Not Call List 1-866-580-DNCL (866-580-3625) http://www.LNNTE-DNCL.gc.ca

Increasing Phone Survey Response Call at a convenient time (Weekdays 7-9 PM, Sunday afternoon) Have a nice Pleasant introduction Emphasize you are not selling anything. State how long it will take. Keep the survey short

Self-Administered Types of Survey Research Direct Mail Survey Questionnaire is distributed to and returned from respondents via the postal service. Respondent Reads Survey Questions and Records Answers Without Assistance Mail Panel Survey Selected group of individuals that have made an advance agreement to participate in a series of direct mail surveys. Drop Off Survey Questionnaires are left with respondent to be completed at a later time and returned to the researcher.

Mail Surveys Requires a broad identification of the individuals to be sampled before data collection begins Ad Hoc Mail Surveys (cold): Questionnaires for a particular project sent to selected names and addresses with no prior contact by the researcher. Mail Panels (warm): Pre-contacted and screened participants who are periodically sent questionnaires. A mail panel is a type of longitudinal study. A longitudinal study in one in which the same respondents are re-sampled over time.

Mail Surveys Some Decisions That Need to Be Taken Type of Return Envelope Postage Method of Addressing Cover Letter The Questionnaire Length, Layout, Color, Format Etc Method of Notification Incentive to Be Given

Mail Surveys Advantages Relatively low cost Reliable answers as no inhibiting intermediary Survey answered at respondents discretion Can be accomplished with minimal staff and facilities. Provides access to widely dispersed samples. Respondents have time to give thoughtful answers, look up records, or consult others.

Mail Surveys Disadvantages No control over whom the respondent consults before answering the questions The identity of the respondent is inadequately controlled The speed of the response can't be monitored No control on the order in which the questions are exposed or answered Open questions usually are not useful. Good reading and writing skills are needed by respondents. The interviewer is not present to exercise quality control with respect to answering all questions, meeting questions objectives, or the quality of answers provided. High non-response rate

Mail Surveys Disadvantages (Contd.): The respondent may not clearly understand the question and no opportunity to clarify No long questionnaires Need for good up-to date mailing list Response rate is generally poor Number of problems such as obsolescence, omissions, duplications, etc Ineffective as a way of enlisting cooperation.

Factors Affecting the Response Rate Perceived amount of work required, and the length of the questionnaire Intrinsic interest in the topic Characteristics of the sample Credibility of the sponsoring organization Level of induced motivation

Tactics Employed to Increase Mail Survey Response Rate Advance postcard or telephone call alerting respondent of survey. Follow-up postcard or phone call. Monetary incentives (how much?). Premiums (pencil, pen, keychain, coupons, etc.). Postage stamps rather than metered envelopes. Self-addressed, stamped return envelope. Personalized address and well-written cover letter. • Personally signed cover letter.

Tactics Employed to Increase Mail Survey Response Rate • Entry into drawing for prize. • Emotional appeals. • Affiliation with institutions or reputed organizations. • Multiple mailings of the questionnaire. • Bids for sympathy. • Offer to share information from the survey. Promise of contributions to favorite charity.

Drop-off questionnaires The interviewer can explain the study, answer questions, and designate a respondent. Response rates tend to be like those of personal interview studies. There is more opportunity to give thoughtful answers and consult records. Costs about as much as personal interviews. A field staff is required.

Fax Surveys Advantages Relatively low cost Can be accomplished with minimal staff and facilities Provides access to widely dispersed samples. Respondents have time to give thoughtful answers. Local faxes are free. Administrative costs are fixed. It is fast. List management is easy. Can send and receive by computer.

Fax Surveys Disadvantages Higher fixed costs for computer/fax equipment, multiple phone lines. Cost varies by time on line, time of day, distance, and telephone carrier. Generally limited to organizational populations. Loss of anonymity.

Internet Surveys Internet Samples Unrestricted Screened Recruited To realize the importance of the marketing research interviewer. Internet Samples Unrestricted Open to any Internet user. Screened adjust for unrepresentitiveness of the self-selected respondents by imposing quotas based on some desired sample characteristics Recruited to target populations in surveys that require more control of the sample Greenfield

Internet Surveys Advantages: The advantages of interviewer administration (In contrast to mail surveys). smaller staff needed, High-speed, Instantaneous data access – real time reporting Cost efficient Automatic data entry Multimedia stimuli Easy to update Ability to reach a lot of people, and often those hard to reach

Internet Surveys Advantages: Potential for longitudinal studies Surveys can be unobtrusively included with a general site pre-screening of respondents possible tracking Easy to personalize No geographic boundaries supervision and quality control potentially better. better response rate from a list sample than from mail use a branching or skip pattern

Internet Surveys Disadvantages: Internet users are not representative of the population as a whole (strong sample bias) Strong selection bias for respondents who are not pre-screened security/privacy issues unrestricted: anyone can complete the questionnaire fully self-selecting

Free Trial Survey Software Free Online Surveys eSurveypro Question Pro Keysurvey Checkbox survey

E-mail Questionnaires The questionnaire is prepared like a simple E-mail message, and is sent to a list of known E-mail addresses. The respondent fills in the answers, and E-mails the form plus replies back to the research organization

Increasing Response: Internet/E-mail Survey Almost all the actions listed for mail survey should hold for E-Mail/Internet survey with some modifications. The questionnaire should be fairly short. No need for advance notification Have short, pleasant introduction Monetary incentives not given. But sharing information would be nice. Reminder e-mail would be useful.

Administrative Criteria: Criteria for Determining Choice Of Particular Survey Methods Sample Criteria: Ability to reach and get responses from the desired sample (sample control) right type of people “adequate” sample size. Information Criteria: Ability to get the desired information from respondents. Need to Expose Respondents to Various Stimuli or Perform Certain Specialized Tasks e.g. Taste tests, product concept and prototype tests, etc. Length of Questionnaire Degree of Structure of the Questionnaire Control social desirability Administrative Criteria: time for data collection and analysis Interviewer control Error control Budget The question for you as a researcher is which method should I use? Book gives advantges/disdvnatges and some compilation (p. 241). I take a more decision-otiented perspective. Set criteria, fin out which one is important for may project, fin out which survey method does the best job. Criteria divided into Sample..AS IS

Factors Determining the Choice of Survey Method. Personal: Mail: Phone: E-Mail/Internet:. Use for long, complex questionnaires where respondent is important and budgets are high. Use when you have a mailing list, somewhat long / complex questionnaire, and budgets are low. Use to reach a large number of people quickly and you have a short questionnaire that can be easily understood. Use when target audience is educated, topic interesting, short questionnaire, have e-mail list, representativeness not a major issue

Comparative Evaluation Personal Phone Mail Internet Sample control     Use of physical stimuli     Diversity of questions     Length     Perceived anonymity     Potential for interviewer bias     Field force control     Speed     Cost     Door-to door Mall Phone Mail Diversity of questions + + ± - Use of physical stimuli + + - - Sample control + - + ± Field force control - - + Quantity of data per interview + ± - ± Perceived anonymity - - ± + Potential for interviewer bias - - + + Speed - - + ± Cost - - + ± + = well suited - = not well suited ± = middle of the road Which survey method to use? Beach vacations (Incidence rate 45%) telephone, mail, personal Collecting Art (Incidence rate 1.5%) mail Long-distance service satisfaction (Incidence rate ~100 %) telephone

Advantages & Disadvantages of Survey Methods Personal Mail/Self Report Telephone Internet Speed of data collection Moderate to fast No control over return of questionnaire Very fast Fastest Geographic flexibility Limited to moderate High Good Best Respondent cooperation Excellent except in shopping malls Moderate –poorly designed questionnaires have poor response rates Versatility of questioning Very versatile Highly standardized format Moderate

Advantages & Disadvantages of Survey Methods Personal Mail/Self Report Telephone Internet Questionnaire length Long Varies depending on incentive Moderate/ Short Moderate Respondent misunderstanding Lowest Highest Interviewer influence High None Supervision of interviewers Not applicable Anonymity of respondent Low in face-to-face situations Low

Advantages & Disadvantages of Survey Methods Personal Mail/Self Report Telephone Internet Ease of callback or follow-up Difficult Easy, but takes time Easy Cost Highest Low Low to moderate Lowest Special features Visual materials may be shown or demonstrated; extended probing possible Respondents may answer questions at own convenience; has time to reflect on answers Field and supervision of data collection are simplified; quite adaptable to computer technology Data collection automatic Skip patterns automatic Note: These reflect typical situations. For example, an elaborate mail survey may be far more expensive than a short interview, but this is generally not the case.

Potential Problems with Surveys How accurate are the results? Did you ask the right questions in the right way? Did you ask the right people? Did they tell you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? Will they? Can they? Do they have the knowledge, opinions, attitudes, or facts required. Do they understand the questions? Structure causes a loss of data richness. Have the Respondents/Interviewers understood and correctly recorded the responses Lack of control causes time and response problems.

Overview of the Types of Errors in Survey Research Methods Survey research errors can be classified as either: Random Sampling Error statistically measured difference between the actual sampled results and the estimated true population results. error because of chance variation Reduce by increasing sample size Range can be estimated with a certain level of confidence Nonsampling Error (Systematic Error) results from mistakes or problems in the research design or its execution Causes data to be misleading or incomplete in some systematic way from true population parameter If you are aware of the problem you may be able to deal with it.

Systematic Sample Design Error Frame Error: The list from which you draw your sample is not what you think it is—some on it don’t belong and/or some who belong are not on it – sample is not representative of population (e.g. telephone directory) Population Specification Error: incorrect definition of the universe or population from which the sample is to be selected. You left people out of the study. Selection Error: You include or exclude people in the sample so that it is not random. Use of incomplete or improper sampling procedures or when appropriate selection procedures are not properly followed (e.g. non-probability samples such as intercept surveys)

Systematic Measurement Error Difference between the information sought and that obtained Surrogate Information Error Acquisition of the wrong data because wrong question was asked. – failure to define problem, e.g. New Coke Interviewer Error interviewer may, consciously or unconsciously, influence respondents to give untrue or inaccurate answers. – training problem Instrument Bias misunderstood or leading questions – questionnaire design Processing Error sloppy data input Non-response Bias differences between the “did” vs. “did not” answer question Response Bias a failure to tell the truth, consciously or unconsciously

Your company has just launched a new brand of pancake syrup Your company has just launched a new brand of pancake syrup. In order to improve sales the marketing department would like to know why consumers buy the brands and sizes they do. How would you go about collecting this information?

Calgary Transit would like to conduct a ridership survey Calgary Transit would like to conduct a ridership survey. Funds are limited but they need a relatively large sample. How would you suggest they gather the information?

Your company makes the new flip and fold device Your company makes the new flip and fold device. You want to find out what consumers think about it and how much they are willing to pay. What sort of survey technique do you use and why. Who do you target in your survey

OBSERVATIONAL RESEARCH Watching what people do The information must be observable Helpful if the behavior is repetitive and of short duration Approaches to observational research Natural Versus Contrived Situations Open Versus Disguised Observation Structured Versus Unstructured Human Versus Machine Observers

What does gathering data through Observation entail What are the advantages of observational data collection as opposed to surveys? What are the relative disadvantages of observational data collection as opposed to surveys?

Main Observational Research Methods Direct Observation Shopper Patterns and Behavior Contrived Observation Mystery Shopper Content Analysis Analyzing written material into meaningful units, using carefully applied rules Physical Trace Measures “Garbology” Ethnographic Research The researcher becomes Immersed in or part of the group Behavior (Emotion) Recording Devices

Toothpaste manufactures have found consistently that if they ask for detailed information on the frequency with which people brush their teeth, and then make minimal assumptions as to the quantity of toothpaste used on each occasion, as well as spillage and failure to squeeze the tube empty, the result is a serious overstatement of toothpaste consumption. How would you explain this phenomenon? Would it be possible to design a study to overcome these problems and obtain more accurate estimates of consumption?

Advantages: Disadvantages: We see what people actually do May avoid interviewer bias Disadvantages: No information on motives attitudes or intentions Time-consuming and expensive

Machine observation Traffic Counters Time and flow in retail stores Behavior Measurement People Reader: reading habits Physiological Measurement EEG: electroencephalogram GSR: galvanic skin response Pupilometer: pupil dilation Scanner Based Store scanners read the UPC codes on products and produce instantaneous information on sales