Surveys can be divided into two broad categories: the questionnaire
and the interview.
Questionnaires are usually paper-and-pencil instruments that the
respondent completes. Interviews are completed by the interviewer based on
the respondent says. Sometimes, it's hard to tell the difference between a
questionnaire and an interview. For instance, some people think that
questionnaires always ask short closed-ended questions while interviews
always ask broad open-ended ones. But you will see questionnaires with
open-ended questions (although they do tend to be shorter than in
interviews) and there will often be a series of closed-ended questions
asked in an interview.
Survey research has changed dramatically in the last ten years. We have
automated telephone surveys that use random dialing methods. There are
computerized kiosks in public places that allows people to ask for input.
A whole new variation of group interview has evolved as focus group
methodology. Increasingly, survey research is tightly integrated with the
delivery of service. Your hotel room has a survey on the desk. Your waiter
presents a short customer satisfaction survey with your check. You get a
call for an interview several days after your last call to a computer
company for technical assistance. You're asked to complete a short survey
when you visit a web site. Here, I'll describe the major types of
questionnaires and interviews, keeping in mind that technology is leading
to rapid evolution of methods. We'll discuss the relative advantages and
disadvantages of these different survey types in Advantages and
Disadvantages of Survey Methods.
Questionnaires
When most people think of questionnaires, they think of the
mail survey. All of us have, at one time or another,
received a questionnaire in the mail. There are many advantages to mail
surveys. They are relatively inexpensive to administer. You can send the
exact same instrument to a wide number of people. They allow the
respondent to fill it out at their own convenience. But there are some
disadvantages as well. Response rates from mail surveys are often very
low. And, mail questionnaires are not the best vehicles for asking for
detailed written responses.
A second type is the group administered
questionnaire. A sample of respondents is brought together and
asked to respond to a structured sequence of questions. Traditionally,
questionnaires were administered in group settings for convenience. The
researcher could give the questionnaire to those who were present and be
fairly sure that there would be a high response rate. If the respondents
were unclear about the meaning of a question they could ask for
clarification. And, there were often organizational settings where it was
relatively easy to assemble the group (in a company or business, for
instance).
What's the difference between a group administered questionnaire and a
group interview or focus group? In the group administered questionnaire,
each respondent is handed an instrument and asked to complete it
while in the room. Each respondent completes an instrument. In the group
interview or focus group, the interviewer facilitates the session. People
work as a group, listening to each other's comments and answering the
questions. Someone takes notes for the entire group -- people don't
complete an interview individually.
A less familiar type of questionnaire is the household
drop-off survey. In this approach, a researcher goes to the
respondent's home or business and hands the respondent the instrument. In
some cases, the respondent is asked to mail it back or the interview
returns to pick it up. This approach attempts to blend the advantages of
the mail survey and the group administered questionnaire. Like the mail
survey, the respondent can work on the instrument in private, when it's
convenient. Like the group administered questionnaire, the interviewer
makes personal contact with the respondent -- they don't just send an
impersonal survey instrument. And, the respondent can ask questions about
the study and get clarification on what is to be done. Generally, this
would be expected to increase the percent of people who are willing to
respond.
Interviews
Interviews are a far more personal form of research than
questionnaires. In the personal interview, the
interviewer works directly with the respondent. Unlike with mail surveys,
the interviewer has the opportunity to probe or ask follow-up questions.
And, interviews are generally easier for the respondent, especially if
what is sought is opinions or impressions. Interviews can be very time
consuming and they are resource intensive. The interviewer is considered a
part of the measurement instrument and interviewers have to be well
trained in how to respond to any contingency.
Almost everyone is familiar with the telephone
interview. Telephone interviews enable a researcher to gather
information rapidly. Most of the major public opinion polls that are
reported were based on telephone interviews. Like personal interviews,
they allow for some personal contact between the interviewer and the
respondent. And, they allow the interviewer to ask follow-up questions.
But they also have some major disadvantages. Many people don't have
publicly-listed telephone numbers. Some don't have telephones. People
often don't like the intrusion of a call to their homes. And, telephone
interviews have to be relatively short or people will feel imposed upon.
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