Essentials of
Marketing Research
Chapter 7:
Survey Research
SURVEYS
SURVEYS ASK RESPONDENTS FOR
INFORMATION USING VERBAL OR
WRITTEN QUESTIONING
RESPONDENTS = A REPRESENTATIVE
SAMPLE OF PEOPLE
Advantages of Surveys
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Standardization
Ease of Administration
Ability to tap the “unseen”
Suitability for statistical analysis
Sensitivity to subgroup differences
Quick, Inexpensive
Efficient, Accurate
Flexible
PROBLEMS
• POOR DESIGN
• IMPROPER EXECUTION
• Research Manager’s Task =
Total Error Minimization
Tree Diagram of Total Survey Error
Random Sampling
Error
Total Error
Systematic Error
(bias)
RANDOM SAMPLING ERROR
A STATISTICAL FLUCTUATION THAT
OCCURS BECAUSE OF CHANCE
VARIATION IN THE ELEMENTS
SELECTED FOR THE SAMPLE
SYSTEMATIC ERROR
SYSTEMATIC ERROR RESULTS FROM
SOME IMPERFECT ASPECT OF THE
RESEARCH DESIGN OR FROM A
MISTAKE IN THE EXECUTION OF THE
RESEARCH
Tree Diagram of Total Survey Error
Administrative
Error
Systematic Error (bias)
or
Non-sampling bias
Respondent
Error
SAMPLE BIAS
SAMPLE BIAS - WHEN THE RESULTS
OF A SAMPLE SHOW A PERSISTENT
TENDENCY TO DEVIATE IN ONE
DIRECTION FROM THE TRUE VALUE
OF THE POPULATION PARAMETER
Tree Diagram of Total Survey Error
Non-response
Error
Respondent
Error
Response
Bias
RESPONDENT ERROR
A CLASSIFICATION OF SAMPLE BIAS
RESULTING FROM SOME
RESPONDENT ACTION OR INACTION
• NONRESPONSE BIAS
• RESPONSE BIAS
NONRESPONSE ERROR
• NONRESPONDENTS - PEOPLE WHO
REFUSE TO COOPERATE
• NOT-AT-HOMES
• SELF-SELECTION BIAS
• OVER REPRESENTS EXTREME POSITIONS
• UNDER REPRESENTED INDIFFERENT
Tree Diagram of Total Survey Error
Deliberate
Falsification
Response
Bias
Unconscious
Misrepresentation
RESPONSE BIAS
A BIAS THAT OCCURS WHEN
RESPONDENTS TEND TO ANSWER
QUESTIONS WITH A CERTAIN SLANT
THAT CONSCIOUSLY OR
UNCONSCIOUSLY MISREPRESENT
THE TRUTH
Tree Diagram of Total Survey Error
Acquiescence bias (agree with all Qs)
Extremity bias (always extreme response)
Interviewer bias (interviewer presence)
Auspices bias (halo affect)
Social desirability bias
Tree Diagram of Total Survey Error
Administrative
Error
Systematic Error
(bias)
Respondent
Error
ADMINISTRATIVE ERROR
• IMPROPER ADMINISTRATION OF THE
RESEARCH TASK
• BLUNDERS
• CONFUSION
• NEGLECT
• OMISSION
Tree Diagram of Total Survey Error
Data Processing Error
Sample Selection Error
Interviewer Error
Interviewer Cheating
COMMUNICATING WITH
RESPONDENTS
• PERSONAL INTERVIEWS
• DOOR-TO-DOOR
• SHOPPING MALL INTERCEPTS
• TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS
• SELF-ADMINISTERED
QUESTIONNAIRES
PERSONAL INTERVIEWS
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 Non-response
Low
Possibility of Respondent
Misunderstanding
Lowest
Degree of Interviewer
Influence of Answer
High
Supervision of Interviewers
Moderate
Door-to-Door Personal Interview
Anonymity of Respondent
Low
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
Questionnaire Length
Moderate to Long
Mall Intercept Personal Interview
Item Non-response
Medium
Possibility of Respondent
Misunderstanding
Lowest
Degree of Interviewer
Influence of Answers
Highest
Supervision of Interviewers
Moderate to high
Mall Intercept Personal Interview
Anonymity of Respondent
Low
Ease of Call Back or
Follow-up
Difficult
Cost
Moderate to high
Special Features
Taste test, viewing
of TV Commercials
possible
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
Versatility of Questioning
Highly standardized format
MAIL SURVEYS
Questionnaire Length
Varies depending on incentive
Item Non-response
High
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
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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
Ways to Increase Mail Survey Response
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Foot-in-the-door
Personalization
Anonymity
Response deadline
Incentives
• Length of survey
• Survey size,
reproduction and color
• Type of postage
– outgoing
– return envelopes
SELF-ADMINISTERED
QUESTIONNAIRES
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MAIL
PLACE OF BUSINESS
DROP-OFF
COMPUTERIZED
E-MAIL
INTERNET
OTHER VARIATIONS
Telephone Surveys
Telephone Surveys
Speed of Data Collection
Very fast
Geographical Flexibility
High
Respondent Cooperation
Good
Versatility of Questioning
Moderate
Telephone Surveys
Questionnaire Length
Item Non-response
Possibility of Respondent
Misunderstanding
Degree of Interviewer
Influence on Answer
Supervision of Interviewers
WATS: Wide-Area Telecommunications Service
Moderate
Medium
Average
Moderate
High, especially
with central location
WATS interviewing
Telephone Surveys
Anonymity of Respondent
Moderate
Ease of Call Back or Follow-up
Easy
Cost
Low to moderate
Special Features
Fieldwork and supervision
of data collection are
simplified; quite adaptable
to computer technology
TIME PERIOD FOR SURVEYS
• CROSS-SECTIONAL
• LONGITUDINAL
Comparison Of Data Collection
Methods
Personal
Telephone
Mail
Data collection costs
High
Medium
Low
Data collection time
Medium
Low
High
Sample size for given
budget
Data quantity per
respondent
Reaches widely
dispersed sample
Reaches special
locations
Small
Medium
Large
High
Medium
Low
No
Maybe
Yes
Yes
Maybe
No
Comparison Of Data Collection
Methods
Personal Telephone Mail
Interaction with
respondents
Degree of
interviewer bias
Severity of
nonresponse bias
Presentation of
visual stimuli
Fieldworker
training required
Yes
Yes
No
High
Medium
None
Low
Low
High
Yes
No
Maybe
Yes
Yes
No
Factors Determining Choice of
Survey Method
• Researcher’s Resources and Objectives
– Time horizon
– Budget
– Desired quality of data collected
• Generalizability vs. Completeness
Factors Determining Choice of
Survey Method
• Respondent Characteristics
– Incidence rate (% in target population)
– Willingness to participate (suspicion, privacy,
interest)
– Ability to participate (time, qualified)
– Diversity of respondents (problems with
selection or response probabilities)
Factors Determining Choice of
Survey Method
• Question Characteristics
– Complexity of tasks (or props needed)
– Amount of information per respondent (and
type of information needed)
– Topic sensitivity (e.g., hygiene, charity
contributions, illicit behaviors)
Potential Survey Topics
• Attitudes
– attitude comes before behavior
– three parts:
• what a person knows about a topic
– awareness (aided and unaided recall)
• how a person feels about a topic
– positive/negative and intensity of feeling
• likelihood the person will take action based on the
attitude
– past, present and future behavior
Potential Survey Topics
• Image
– ask what characteristics are most important to
the subject
– comparison across groups to reveal differences
• Decisions
– What was the process used to make the
decision?
– What information sources were used?
– What criteria was used for evaluation?
Potential Survey Topics
• Needs (or Wants)
– Needs, desires or preferences
– Find out relative importance of needs.
• Behavior
– what respondents did or did not do
– the timing of the behavior
– the persistency of the behavior
Potential Survey Topics
• Lifestyles
– lifestyle patterns identified by activities,
interests, opinions and possessions of the
respondents
• Affiliations
– family groups
– reference groups
Potential Survey Topics
• Demographics
– Variables such as age, gender, income, marital
status, education, employment, etc.
– demographic groups often differ significantly
on issues
– demographics can be used to identify market
segments
Survey Trends
• Over sampling of some populations
• Privacy issues
• New Technology
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fax
e-mail
internet
virtual reality