Last Sharkey Lecture

Front 1

What's the ULTIMATE goal of survey research? TQ!

Back 1

obtain completes questionnaires from a representative sample

Front 2

Why do you need alternatives to face-to-face interviews? (may not be as successful as they once were because?)

Back 2

- Prohibitively expensive
- Difficulty in location respondents
- geographical dispersion of some pop's
- Finding competent interviewers
- Securing, training, and supervising interviewers is demanding/costly

Front 3

Why are they prohibitively expensive?

Back 3

- higher refusal rates (have to make contacts w/ more people)
- increasing resistance to interviewers (how the respondent senses the researcher affects things)

Front 4

What makes it difficult to locate respondents?

Back 4

- call backs
- dual income families

Front 5

Why is finding competent interviewers tough?

Back 5

- It's a highly skilled activity
- Have to operate comfortably in a climate in which strangers are viewed with distrust
- Work at night
- safety

Front 6

What are the 3 alternative methods for survey administration?

Back 6

1) mail
2) telephone
3) online

Front 7

What are the advantages to a mail survey?

Back 7

- low cost
- no hired/trained/supervised interview staff
- geographical reach
- potential lg # respondents
- privacy
- context of multiple q's
- diminish social desirability
- long response categories

Front 8

What are the disadvantages of mail survey?

Back 8

- not flexible
- literacy and vision (poor eye sight)
- Unable to properly utilize open-ended questions
- low response rates
- long surveys not feasible
- no personal contact

Front 9

What are the costs w/ mail surveys? (4)

Back 9

- printing
- mail supplies
- postage
- data entry

Front 10

When are mail surveys a good choice?

Back 10

- limited HR
- close-ended questions
- research sample has moderate to high investment in the topic
- modest length of research objectives

Front 11

Don't use mail surveys when you have ___ ___ questions!

Back 11

open-ended

Front 12

What are the 4 MAJOR types of error?

Back 12

1) Sample selection bias
2) Non-response error
3) Item non-response error
4) Response error

Front 13

what's sample selection bias?

Back 13

- incomplete or out-of-date list
- appropriateness of list
- selection method from the list

Front 14

what's non-response error?

Back 14

bias from differential reporters (child answers instead of adults)

Front 15

What's item non-response error?

Back 15

- bias from skipping items
- leave items blank
- not following instructions

Front 16

What's response error?

Back 16

- misunderstanding the wording of the question

Front 17

What are the 3 basic elements of a Mail Survey?

Back 17

1) Good response letter
2) Confidentiality/anonymity
3) Return postage

Front 18

W/ a good response letter:
1) not too ___
2) write on professionally pdcd ____
3) clear ___ __
4) "___ ___" first sentence
5) ___ consent

Back 18

1) long
2) letterhead
3) contact informationz
4) attention getter
5) informed

Front 19

What's the purpose of informed consent?

Back 19

- explain why study is impt and how info will be used
- explain whos i being asked to participate and how they personally were picked

Front 20

Informed consent w/ in a good response letter also provides _____/____ and _____ participation.

Back 20

confidentiality/anonymity;
voluntary

Front 21

W/ a good response letter (2):
1) explain importance of ___
2) Give method for ___ of ___
3) Make it easy to ___ (font/layout)

Back 21

1) participation
2) return; questionnaire
3) read

Front 22

What's the diff b/w confidentiality and anonymity?

Back 22

W/ confidentiality, only the PI knows who is answering the questionnaire.

W/ anonymity, you have no idea who answered and theres no way to tie it back to the individual.

Front 23

W/ confidentiality/anonymity:
1) use ___ instead of names/addresses on questionnaire
2) Ensure immediate ___ of quest're
3) Do not discuss ____
4) Don't present data in a way that _____ the ____

Back 23

1) codes
2) filing
3) responses
4) identifies; participant

Front 24

what is the biggest single concern w/ mail surveys?

Back 24

BIAS- from nonresponse error! (not getting the survey back)

Front 25

Non-response Error:
1) size of error depends on?
2) Risk in ___ ___; little is known of ______
3) Solutions? (2)

Back 25

1) amount of non-response and difference of nonresponsders vs responders (b/c you don't know who did this)
2) mail surveys; nonresponders
3) high response rates and info on non-responders

Front 26

Non-response Error (2):
What are some non-response problems?

Back 26

1) group difference: incorrectly reporting population avg's
2) no group difference but low response rate: appearance of poor quality study and little confidence in results (b/c of low response rate!)

Front 27

Non-response Error (3):
Very easy for respondents to ___ ___! Either via a ___ decision or they ___.

Back 27

not respond; conscious; forget

Front 28

How do you increase response rates?

Back 28

- handle undeliverable surveys
- Reminders
- incentives
- design the survey differently
- clarity of instructions
- pre-notification (they're ready)
- outgoing postage (special stamp)
- study sponsorship
- personalization & deadlines

Front 29

Undeliverable surveys occur when people ____, if theres ____ w/ addresses, the survey is ___/____ or the person is ____.

Back 29

moved; problems; refused/unclaimed; deceased

Front 30

The 3 issues with someone moving include?

Back 30

1) they moved
2) no address to begin with
3) forwarding address expired

Front 31

Possible errors w/ address include?

Back 31

- addressee not known
- insufficient address
- no such street #

Front 32

What are the methods for reminding?

Back 32

-track returns
-frequency and timing of reminders
-reminder letter/card v complete packet

Front 33

Who do you remind?

Back 33

depends on confidentiality v anonymity

Front 34

W/ confidentiality, remind only those who have ___ ___; what are the advantages to this?

Back 34

1) not responded
2) saves money and keeps respondents from being annoyed

Front 35

W/ Anonymity, send reminders to? What's the disadvantage to this? You can also do the ____ ____ ___.

Back 35

1) everyone, w/ a note of explanation
2) cost, irritating, and duplicate responses
3) reminder post-card strategy

Front 36

What should you consider with Incentives?

Back 36

1) how much
2) give before/after completion?
3) monetary v non-monetary

Front 37

With "how much" on incentives, make sure it's __ ___ for time/effort and that it makes the respondent ___ ___ vs. being ____,.

Back 37

worth while; feel good; coercive.

Front 38

When choosing to give incentive before/after completion, realize that giving it before has an ____ ___.

Back 38

immediate impact

Front 39

W/ design factors of survey (to increase response rate) think about:
1) ___ of quest're: # of ___ vs. # of __
2) ___ and ___ aims
3) ____ and ___

Back 39

1) length; questions; pages
2) efficiency; study
3) presentation; layout

Front 40

W/ clarity of instructions (to increase response rates):
1) make them ___, ___ and clearly __
2) put thought in to the ___, ___, ___ etc.

Back 40

1) precise; short; visible
2) type; boxes; arrows