Exploring
Marketing Research
William G. Zikmund
Chapter 9:
Survey Research:
Basic Communication Methods
Surveys
Surveys as a respondent for information
using verbal or written questioning
Communicating with
Respondents
• Personal interviews
• Door-to-door
• Shopping mall intercepts
• Telephone interviews
• Self-administered questionnaires
Personal Interviews
Good Afternoon, my name is
_________. I am with _________
survey research company. We are
conducting a survey on_________
Door-to-Door Personal Interview
• Speed of data collection
– Moderate to fast
• Geographical flexibility
– Limited to moderate
• Respondent cooperation
– Excellent
• Versatility of questioning
– Quite versatile
Door-to-Door Personal Interview
• Questionnaire length
– Long
• Item nonresponse
– Low
• Possibility of respondent misunderstanding
– Lowest
Door-to-Door Personal Interview
• Degree of interviewer influence of answer
– High
• Supervision of interviewers
– Moderate
• Anonymity of respondent
– Low
Door-to-Door Personal Interview
• Ease of call back or follow-up
– Difficult
• Cost
– Highest
• Special features
– Visual materials may be shown or
demonstrated; extended probing possible
Mall Intercept Personal Interview
• Speed of data collection
– Fast
• Geographical flexibility
– Confined, urban bias
• Respondent cooperation
– Moderate to low
– Versatility of questioning
• Extremely versatile
Mall Intercept Personal Interview
• Speed of Data Collection
– Fast
• Geographical Flexibility
– Confined, urban bias
• Respondent Cooperation
– Moderate to low
– Versatility of Questioning
– Extremely versatile
Mall Intercept Personal Interview
• Questionnaire length
– Moderate to long
• Item nonresponse
– Medium
• Possibility of respondent misunderstanding
– Lowest
Mall Intercept Personal Interview
• Degree of interviewer influence of answers
– Highest
• Supervision of interviewers
– Moderate to high
• Anonymity of respondent
– Low
Mall Intercept Personal Interview
• Ease of call back or follow-up
– Difficult
• Cost
– Moderate to high
• Special features
– Taste test, viewing of TV commercials
possible
Telephone Surveys
Telephone Surveys
• Speed of Data Collection
– Very fast
• Geographical Flexibility
– High
• Respondent Cooperation
– Good
• Versatility of Questioning
– Moderate
Telephone Surveys
• Questionnaire Length
– Moderate
• Item Nonresponse
– Medium
• Possibility of Respondent Misunderstanding
– Average
• Degree of Interviewer Influence of Answer
– Moderate
Telephone Surveys
• Supervision of interviewers
– High, especially with central location WATS
interviewing
• Anonymity of respondent
– Moderate
• Ease of call back or follow-up
– Easy
Telephone Surveys
• Cost
– Low to moderate
• Special features
– Fieldwork and supervision of data collection
are simplified; quite adaptable to computer
technology
Telephone Surveys
• Central location interviewing
• Computer-assisted telephone interviewing
• Computerized voice-activated interviews
Most Unlisted Markets
•
•
•
•
Sacramento, CA
Oakland, CA
Fresno, CA
Los Angles/Long Beach, CA
The Frame, November 2001 Published by Survey Sampling, Inc.
Self-Administered
Questionnaires
SELF-ADMINISTERED
QUESTIONNAIRES
PAPER
QUESTIONNAIRES
MAIL
IN-PERSON
DROP-OFF
INSERTS
ELECTRONIC
QUESTIONNAIRES
FAX
E-MAIL
INTERNET
WEB SITE
KIOSK
Mail Surveys
Mail Surveys
• Speed of data collection
– Researcher has no control over return of
questionnaire; slow
• Geographical flexibility
– High
• Respondent cooperation
– Moderate--poorly designed questionnaire will
have low response rate
Mail Surveys
• Versatility of questioning
– Highly standardized format
• Questionnaire length
– Varies depending on incentive
• Item nonresponse
– High
Mail Surveys
• Possibility of respondent misunderstanding
– Highest--no interviewer present for clarification
• Degree of interviewer influence of answer
– None--interviewer absent
• Supervision of interviewers
– Not applicable
Mail Surveys
• Anonymity of respondent
– High
• Ease of call back or follow-up
– Easy, but takes time
• Cost
– Lowest
How to Increase Response Rates
for Mail Surveys
• Write a “sales oriented” cover letter
• Money helps
- As a token of appreciation
- For a charity
• Stimulate respondents’ interest with interesting questions
• Follow Up
- Keying questionnaires with codes
• Advanced notification
• Sponsorship by a well-known and prestigious institution
Increasing Response Rates
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Effective cover letter
Money helps
Interesting questions
Follow-ups
Advanced notification
Survey sponsorship
Keying questionnaires
E-Mail Questionnaire Surveys
• Speed of data collection
– Instantaneous
• Geographic flexibility
– worldwide
• Cheaper distribution and processing costs
E-Mail Questionnaire Surveys
• Flexible, but
– Extensive differences in the capabilities of
respondents’ computers and e-mail software
limit the types of questions and the layout
• E-mails are not secure and “eavesdropping”
can possibly occur
• Respondent cooperation
– Varies depending if e-mail is seen as “spam”
Internet Surveys
• A self-administered questionnaire posted on
a Web site.
• Respondents provide answers to questions
displayed online by highlighting a phrase,
clicking an icon, or keying in an answer.
Internet Surveys
• Speed of data collection
– Instantaneous
• Cost effective
• Geographic flexibility
– worldwide
• Visual and interactive
Internet Surveys
• Respondent cooperation
– Varies depending on web site
– Varies depending on type of sample
– When user does not opt-in or expect a
voluntary survey cooperation is low.
– Self-selection problems in web site visitation
surveys - participants tend to be more deeply
involved than the average person.
Internet Surveys
• Versatility of questioning
– Extremely versatile
• Questionnaire length
– Individualized base on respondent answers
– Longer questionnaires with panel samples
• Item nonresponse
– Software can assure none
Internet Surveys
• Representative samples
• The quality of internet samples may vary
substantially.
• A sample of those who visit a web page and
voluntarily fill out a questionnaires can
have self-selection error.
Internet Surveys
• 1) not all individuals in the general public
have internet access
• 2) many respondents lack powerful
computers with high-speed connections to
the internet
• 3) many respondents computer skills will
be relatively unsophisticated.
Internet Surveys
• Possibility for respondent misunderstanding
– High
• Interviewer influence of answers
– None
• Supervision of interviewers
not required
Internet Surveys
• Anonymity of Respondent
– Respondent can be anonymous or known
• Ease of Callback or Follow-up
– difficult unless e-mail address is known
• Special Features
– allows graphics and streaming media
Welcome Screen
• Welcome Screen like a cover letter
• It contains the name of the research company and
how to contact the organization if there is a
problem or concern.
• "If you have any concerns or questions about this
survey, or if you experience any technical
difficulties, please contact (NAME OF
RESEARCH ORGANIZATION).
Welcome Screen should ask for
password and give instructions
• Please enter your personal password from your
invitation.Then, press the "enter" key to begin the
survey or simply click on the right arrow at the
bottom of the page to begin the survey (after you
have read the remaining instructions):
• During the survey, please do not use your
browser's FORWARD and BACK buttons.
• Use the arrows on the lower right to move
backward and forward through the survey.
There is no best form
of survey; each has
advantages and
disadvantages.
Selected Questions to Determine
the Appropriate Technique
• Is the assistance of an interviewer
necessary?
• Are respondents interested in the issues
being investigated?
• Will cooperation be easily attained?
Selected Questions to Determine
the Appropriate Technique
• How quickly is the information needed?
• Will the study require a long and complex
questionnaire?
• How large is the budget?
Pretesting
• A trial run with a group of respondents to
iron out fundamental problems in the
instructions of survey design
“Practice is the best of all
instructors.”
Publius Syrus