A survey is a method of collecting information commonly used in social science research. It involves asking groups of individuals to answer questions.
When a population of interest is too large to be directly observed, conducting a survey is a researcher’s best option. Instead of collecting information from every individual in a given population, a survey allows for information to be collected from a sample—a smaller group meant to be representative of a larger whole. With the correct sampling technique, the results of a survey can be applied to the population as a whole, revealing how the population that the sample represents thinks or behaves.
Surveys also allow researchers to collect unobservable data—information that would remain unknown without asking individuals directly (Bhattacherjee, 2012). As such, a subject’s personal preferences, perceptions, traits, behaviors, or beliefs can be gathered in the absence of an in-person conversation.
You can check out this introduction to survey design from Ohio State University Office of Student Life.
(Ohio State University Office of Student Life, 2013)
Surveys versus questionnaires: are they the same?
You may hear the terms “survey” and “questionnaire” used interchangeably. Do they mean the same thing? Not exactly. While a survey refers to the process of collecting, compiling, and analyzing responses, a questionnaire refers to the actual written questions given to a respondent.
Throughout this module, we will use the term “survey” to refer to the process, though most of our examples will refer to written questionnaires.
Relative to other research methods, surveys can be inexpensive and quick to execute (Ohio State University Office of Student Life, 2013). Some researchers may even be able to answer their research questions using pre-existing questionnaires or data, improving the efficiency of the process. There are a lot of resources publicly available so, prior to investing time and resources in the process, it’s worth searching for a pre-existing survey or dataset that suits your research question. For a list of reputable data sources, visit our Resources page.
Personal Project
To determine whether a survey is the right research method for you, think about your research question. What kind of information do you need to answer it? How will you gather that information?
Consider your answers to the questions above. Are you only interested in a few specific individuals or an entire group or population? Are you interested in discovering the motivations, thoughts, or behaviors of some population, or are you more interested in recounting events or processes? Do you feel that people could provide insight if they are asked the right questions, or do you feel that you could get better insight by observing the population yourself and drawing your own conclusions?
Running a survey is a process effective for making generalizations about a population, not for specifics about individuals. Those generalizations may include broad indications of how the population, or groups in the population, think, behave, or act. But, ultimately, you are relying on people to be able to tell you something that will give you the insight into what you are researching.
Remember that a survey is the best option if you are studying a large population, and you can’t directly observe your population or you need to gather unobservable data. In addition, they are much less expensive and more efficient than trying to reach an entire population.
Does conducting a survey sound like the method you’re looking for? If so, keep reading, and you’ll find information about different types of surveys, and how to design questions and questionnaires.
The process of running a survey can be broken down into a series of steps, which will require you to:
- Select the time frame and mode of data collection
- Design your questions and questionnaire
- Test your questionnaire for reliability and validity
- Analyze your results
You will learn about all of these steps in this module. In the next few pages, you’ll be introduced to the time frames of data collection, which will help you set up your questionnaire design.
