General Theory of Survey Design
Survey Planning and Conceptualization
 What do you want to learn?
 Should you use a survey?
 Who is the sample or audience?
 How will you distribute the survey?
 Sampling techniques – interview vs. individual survey
 Obtain representative sample
 Measure time and people power
 Evaluate survey process when done
Designing the Survey
 Keep language direct, use common words, do not use jargon
 Use close-ended questions
o EX: “How much did you spend on groceries this week?” vs. “Did you
spend more than $50 on groceries this week?”
 Do not use double-barreled questions
o EX: “do you believe nonprofits are inefficient and wasteful?” vs. “do
you believe nonprofits and inefficient?” and “do you believe nonprofits
are wasteful?”
 Do not use biased questions
o EX: “given the failure of welfare in the US, do you feel welfare
programs should be eliminated?” vs. “do you feel welfare programs
should be eliminated?”
 Keep the survey short
 Put demographic questions at end
 Include a “blurb” about why doing survey
 Be aware of cultural factors
Testing the Survey
 VERY important
 Use representative sample (same kinds of people that will be used in study)
 Interview participants after taking survey
o Clear wording, design, questions, typos?
 Edit survey as needed
Deploy and Analyze the Survey
 Train staff in facilitation of survey deployment
 Code results