Information from Respondents:
Issues in Data Collection
Widely used media for collecting primary data
• Questionnaires
• Observation
• Combining methods in data collection
– E.g. Brand preferences influenced by advertising. How
will you combine an experiment with an observation?
– Gerald Gorn’s experiment
Interviewee Issues: Non-response
• Refusals
• Inability to respond
• How will you minimize non-response issues?
Interviewee Issues: Inaccurate Response
• Concern about invasion of privacy
• Time pressure and fatigue
• Prestige seeking and social desirability bias
• Courtesy bias
• Telescoping
• Averaging
Interviewer Issues
• Fraud and deceit
• Probing questions
• Interviewer attitudes and interest
• How will you minimize interviewer issues?
Widely used methods of Data Collection
• Personal Interview
• Telephone Interview
• Mail Survey
• Web-based Survey
Personal Interviews
Four Entities Involved
• Researcher–Questionnaire design and procedure
• Interviewer-attitudes & procedure
• Interviewee-respondent characteristics
• The Interview Environment-where? How much
time? Home? Office? Etc.
• Interaction between any or all of these entities
influences responses
Personal Interviews
Methods
• Door to Door Interviewing
• Executive Interviewing
• Mall Intercept Surveys
Personal Interviews
• Purchase Intercept Technique (PIT)
• Self-administered questionnaire
Telephone Interviewing - issues
• Selecting telephone numbers
– Pre specified list (membership rosters, customer
lists, etc.)
– A directory (telephone, etc. problem – unlisted
numbers)
– Random dialing procedure
• Random digit dialing – out of service numbers, no
geographical focus possible
• Systematic random digit dialing (SRDD) –
geographical focus possible
• Cost – cheaper and faster than personal
interviews
Telephone interviews - issues
• The introduction
• When to call
• Call reports
Mail Surveys
Decisions to Be Made
• Postage pre-paid return envelope
• Method of Addressing (first name/last name/Sir, etc.)
• Cover Letter
• The Questionnaire Length, Layout, Color, Format, Etc
• Method of Notification (pre-recruitment)
• Reminders
• Incentive to Be Given
Mail surveys – possible problems
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Who answers –
Did the respondent get help in answering?
Speed of response
Order of questions is compromised
Not understanding the questions
Opportunity to probe for more information not
present
• Obsolete, inaccurate mailing list
• Low response rates
Factors Affecting Response Rates
• Perceived amount of work required, and the
length of the questionnaire
• Intrinsic interest in the topic
• Characteristics of the sample
• Credibility of the sponsoring organization
• Level of induced motivation
How to reduce non-response possibilities
• Anonymity, confidentiality
• Appeals (e.g. students doing survey to get
grades)
• Obtain permission to do survey
• Follow ups
• Incentives
• Personalize
• Questionnaire length and design
• Reply-paid enclosed envelope
Factors Affecting the Choice of a Survey
Method
• Sampling (local, regional, national, etc.)
• Type of Population (e.g. illiterate, challenged)
• Question Form – close-ended questions
• Question Content – sensitive issues
• Response Rate required
• Costs
• Available Facilities
• Length of Data Collection period
Ethical Issues in Data Collection
Rights of the Respondents Violated if:
• Purpose of a particular measurement disguised
• True duration of the interview not revealed
• Compensation is misrepresented
• Intended follow-up interview not mentioned
• Hidden tape recorders used
• Respondents not briefed
• Interview is guise for selling or fund raising
Cover Letter
• Purpose of the questionnaire should be stated
• Researcher’s contact information
• “Response is voluntary” & “you are free to pull
out at any time”
– “your filling up and sending the survey is indicative of
your voluntary participation in the study”
• Responses will be kept confidential / anonymous
(you should know how)
Cover letter (continued)
• Sponsoring organization name
• Reviewed by Human Subjects Committee
• “Take all reasonable steps to protect your
identity”
• How long will the participation last