There are two main problematic factors associated with surveys. The
first is problems with the measurements and the second is nonresponsive participants in the survey.
Measurement Problems
In the case of measurement problems, we are mostly talking about
issues with the wording of surveys, and the way a question is
phrased. Specific problems can arise when a interviewee can not
remember the answer to a question, or when the question is designed
to lead a person to answer in a way that may not represent their
opinion, and often times a question is unclear. There are many texts
and courses which are designed to provide more information on how to
create and conduct surveys.
Nonresponsive Participants
Even after we have decided on a sampling method, and designed our
questioner, we still must collect the data. Most often survey data
is collected using personal interviews or phone interviews. However,
another popular method is the self-administered questionnaire, these
are typically mailed to the individual and completed by the
respondent. |