Level 3 Methodology A SURVEYS

1. Level 3Methodology ASURVEYS Professor Rhona Flin (Dr Margaret Crichton)

2. Examples of current public opinion surveys

3. Social Science Research Applied Psychology: • Workforce attitudes eg safety climate surveys • Incidence of depression in undergraduate students • Experience of crime in the elderly • Use of decision support systems in intensive care • Primary teachers’ experience of web-teaching

4. Overview • What is a survey? • Sampling • Survey designs • Data collection methods • Questionnaire design • Asking questions • Conducting a survey

5. What is a Survey? ‘A method of gathering information from a number of individuals, a ‘sample’, in order to learn something about the larger population from which the sample is drawn.’ (May 1993, Social Research p65)

6. Sampling • random sample • equal chance of selection • stratified random sample • strata = predetermined variables • cluster sample • e.g. geographical location • opportunity sample • taking advantage of opportunity • snowball sample • participants recruit new sample

7. Survey designs • Cross-sectional • one sample, one time • Time series • repeated survey, different samples • Longitudinal • repeated survey, same sample

8. Data collection methods • postal questionnaire • emailed/ web-based questionnaire • telephone interview • face to face interview (See handout for comparison)

9. Asking questions • 1. Content - facts; beliefs & attitudes; • self –report behaviours • Wording - terminology, leading & loaded questions • Structure - complexity, • length, • open vs closed questions, • rating scales • (coding and scoring) • 4. Sequence - funnelling, transitional • statements, filters

10. Question Format a) Open Questions • How do you feel about investors from foreign countries purchasing shares in British companies? • What goes through your mind whenever you see someone driving down the street in a Mercedes-Benz car?

11. Question format b) Closed Questions i)    Dichotomous Do you buy Persil washing powder? • Yes No

12. Question format c)    Multiple Choice How far do you commute from your home to where you work? • 0-5 miles round trip. •  6-10 miles round trip • 11-20 miles round trip • Over 20 miles round trip.

13. Question Format d) Multiple response Of the following activities, please indicate the one(s) in which you have participated in the past month. Have attended the cinema. Have gone to the pub. Have invited friends over for an evening of cards. Have attended a play or concert.  Have played tennis. Have watched the grass growing in the front lawn.

14. Rating Scales Potential Source of Bias, Unbalanced Range How would you rate the reliability of your Snowchucker snowblower? Superior Very good Good Poor How would your rate the reliability of your Snowchucker snowblower? Extremely poor Very poor Poor Good

15. Ewell Carey’s Take-Out Chicken is: Pricedfar too high Very reasonably priced x The worst-tasting chicken in town The best-tasting chicken in town x Compared to Colonel Sanders, Ewell Carey’s Take-Out Chicken: Has an inferior taste Tastes about the same Has a superior taste x 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

16. Overall, how do you like your new Snowchucker? Very dissatisfied Somewhat dissatisfied Somewhat satisfied Very satisfied 1 2 3 4 What do you think of the food at Chung Ho’s Burrito? Terrible Terrific -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3

17. Please rank the following restaurants according to the quality of their food. Place a “1” beside the restaurant you believe has the highest quality food, a “2” next to the second best establishment, then continue until you’ve placed a “5” next to the one with the lowest-quality food: __________ Ewell Carey’s Take-Out Chicken __________ Colonel Sanders’ Kentucky Fried Chicken __________ Wofgang Schmidt’s Genuine Italian Pizza __________ Harold’s Hoagie Heaven __________ Chung Ho’s Burrito Palace

18. Conducting a Survey • 1. Mode of data collection -personal interview, mail, email, phone • 2. Specific areas to be covered • 3. Existing questions/scales • 4. Writing questions - language, open v closed, rating scales • 5. Draft - sequence, transition, • balance open v closed, positive v. negative • 6. Circulate draft - revise from comments • 7. Pretest with small sample (eg 10) • 8. Analyse pretest - revise • 9. Administer • 10. Code & analyse data • 11. Prepare Survey Report - summarising results, drawing conclusions

19. References Further details and the reference list are provided on the lecture handout.