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ACM Survey and Research Methods
Surveys - Introduction
Is any activity that collects information in an organised and methodical manner about characteristics of interest from some or all units of a population using well-defined concepts, methods and procedures, and compiles such information into a useful summary form Usually begins with the need for information where no data or insufficient data exist Consist of several interconnected steps which include: defining the objectives, selecting a survey frame, determining the sample design, designing the questionnaire, collecting and processing the data, analysing and disseminating the data and documenting the survey.
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Steps of a Survey
Formulation of the Statement of Objectives Selection of a survey frame Determination of the sample design Questionnaire design Data collection Data capture and coding Editing and imputation Estimation Data analysis Data dissemination Documentation
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ACM Survey and Research Methods
the users and uses of the data - Who are the main users of the data?
What will the information be used for?
the analysis plan - how much detail is required for each item and the format of
the results
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ACM Survey and Research Methods
Survey Design
Census Vs. Sample Surveys Target population: the population for which information is desired - the type of units that comprise the population and the defining
characteristics of those units (Who or What?); the geographical location of the units (Where?); the reference (time) period under consideration (When?)
Survey population - the population that is actually covered by the survey Survey frame (also called the sampling frame when applied to sample surveys) - provides the means of identifying and
contacting the units of the survey population
Survey Errors
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ACM Survey and Research Methods
Survey Frames
Types of Frames
- List frame - a conceptual list or a physical list of all units in the survey population - Area frame - a special kind of list frame where the units on the frame are geographical areas - multiple frame - a combination of two or more frames, (a combination of list and area frames or of two or more list frames)
Frame Defects
- Undercoverage - exclusions from the frame of some units that are part of the target population - Overcoverage - inclusions on the frame of some units that are not part of the target population - Duplication - occurs when the same unit appears on the frame more than once - Misclassification - incorrect values for variables on the frame
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ACM Survey and Research Methods
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Disadvantages
- usually the most expensive method - smaller sample sizes than would have been selected for self-enumeration or telephone interviews - difficult to hire and retain suitably qualified interviewers in all surveyed areas; - difficult to shift workloads to less busy interviewers; - difficult to implement a quality control program for the interviewing process.
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ACM Survey and Research Methods
Disadvantages
- it may be difficult to construct a survey frame with good coverage of telephone numbers; - sampling telephone numbers is often inefficient (i.e., may telephone many out-of-scope units); - confidentiality may be a problem if another person can overhear the respondents answers (for example, where there are shared telephone lines); - telephone interviews are less personal than personal interviews, so it may be more difficult to convince people of the importance of the survey; - telephone interviews may be costly if long-distance calls are made.
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Advantages
- it is environmentally friendly (questionnaires are not printed out); - dependent interviewing can be easily performed for repeated surveys to reduce response error (i.e., information provided by a respondent in a previous cycle of the survey can be used at subsequent cycles).
Disadvantages
- transmission between computers (e.g., from the interviewers computer to head office) must be over a secure line in order to protect the confidentiality of respondent data; - it is vulnerable to technical difficulties (battery life, file transfer problems, etc.) that are time consuming to fix and could result in the loss or damage of data; - it requires computer experts to develop the software and deal with technical problems
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Selection Criteria
Collection information available on the survey frame Characteristics of the target population Nature of the questions being asked Available resources (e.g., interviewers)
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