Marketing
Research
Aaker, Kumar, Day
Seventh Edition
Instructor’s Presentation
Slides
Chapter Nine
Information from
Respondents:
Issues in Data Collection
Information From Surveys
Used to Capture a Wide Variety of
Information:
Attitude
Decisions
 Focus
on process and not the results
Measuring the relationship between actions
& needs, desires, preferences, motives and
goals
Marketing Research 7th Edition
© Aaker, Kumar, Day
Sources of Survey Error
The Results Will Be Meaningful If:
Population has been defined correctly
Sample is representative of the population
Respondents selected are able and willing to
cooperate
Questions are understood by the respondents
Respondents have the knowledge, opinions,
attitudes, or facts required
Interviewer correctly understands and records the
response
Marketing Research 7th Edition
© Aaker, Kumar, Day
Sources of Survey Error
Ambiguity
of question
Sample
POPULATION
Sampling error
RESPONDENT
Nonresponse
due to refusals
or not-at-home
Interviewer
error
Question
Answer
INTERVIEWER
Inaccuracy in
response
Ambiguity
of answer
•Inability to
formulate a
response
•Unwillingness
to respond
Marketing Research 7th Edition
© Aaker, Kumar, Day
Non-response Errors Due to
Refusals
Refusals Could Occur Due to:
Nature of questions and place
Subject of no interest to the respondent
Fear
Invasion of privacy
Hostility towards sponsor
Personal bias
Characteristics of the data collection procedure
(e.G., Presidential polls)
Marketing Research 7th Edition
© Aaker, Kumar, Day
Non-response Errors Due to
Refusals (Cont.)
Phenotypic Source

Characteristics of the data collection procedure
Question asked
 How question is asked
 Length of interview

Genotypic Source

Indigenous characteristics of the respondents
Age
 Sex
 Occupation

Marketing Research 7th Edition
© Aaker, Kumar, Day
Inaccuracy in Response
Inability to respond
Telescoping
Averaging
Omission
Cannot formulate an adequate answer
Some of these problems can be solved by:
Aided-recall techniques
Marketing Research 7th Edition
© Aaker, Kumar, Day
Unwillingness to Respond
Accurately
This Could Arise Due to the Following
Reasons:
Concern about invasion of privacy
Time pressure and fatigue
Prestige seeking and social desirability response
bias
Courtesy bias
Uninformed response bias
Response style
Marketing Research 7th Edition
© Aaker, Kumar, Day
Interviewer Error
This Depends On:
Respondent’s Impression of the Interviewer
Questioning, Probing, and Recording
Fraud and Deceit
Improving Interviewer Quality
Marketing Research 7th Edition
© Aaker, Kumar, Day
Methods of Data Collection
Personal Interview
Telephone Interview
Mail Survey
Fax Survey
E-mail Survey
Web-based Survey
Marketing Research 7th Edition
© Aaker, Kumar, Day
Factors Affecting the Choice
of a Survey Method
Sampling
Type of Population
Question Form
Question Content
Response Rate
Costs
Available Facilities
Length of Data Collection
Marketing Research 7th Edition
© Aaker, Kumar, Day
Ethical Issues in Data
Collection
Misrepresentation of Data Collection Process
Stems From:
Representation of a marketing activity other than
research as research
Abuse of respondents rights during the data
collection process, under the rationale of providing
better quality research. E.G.,
Use of survey for selling purposes
 Use of survey to obtain names and addresses of
prospects for direct marketing

Marketing Research 7th Edition
© Aaker, Kumar, Day
Ethical Issues in Data
Collection (Contd.)
The Rights of the Respondents Can Be Violated
By:
Disguising the purpose of a particular
measurement
Deceiving the prospective respondent as to the
true duration of the interview
Misrepresenting the compensation in order to
gain cooperation
Marketing Research 7th Edition
© Aaker, Kumar, Day
Ethical Issues in Data
Collection (Contd.)
The Rights of the Respondents Can Be
Violated By:
Not mentioning to the respondent that a follow up interview
will be made
Using projective tests and unobtrusive measures to
circumvent the need for a respondents consent
Using hidden tape recorders
Not debriefing the respondent
Conducting simulated product tests in which identical
product is tried by respondent except for variations in color
Marketing Research 7th Edition
© Aaker, Kumar, Day