Chapter 10: Survey Research – Basic Communication Methods
Survey research collects data by communicating with people.
There are several ways to reach respondents — interviews, telephone calls, or self-
administered questionnaires.
Each method has its own strengths, weaknesses, cost, and speed.
1. Communication Methods
The main methods used in surveys are:
1. Personal interviews
2. Telephone interviews
3. Self-administered questionnaires (mail, fax, email, internet)
Each method differs in cost, time, flexibility, and response rate.
A. PERSONAL INTERVIEWS
These involve face-to-face interaction between interviewer and respondent.
1. Door-to-Door Personal Interview
Explanation: The interviewer visits respondents at their homes and asks questions in
person.
Advantages:
• High cooperation: Respondents are usually willing to answer face-to-face.
• Versatile questions: Interviewer can ask complex or open-ended questions.
• Long questionnaires: Can handle longer surveys.
• Low misunderstanding: Interviewer can explain confusing questions.
Disadvantages:
• Slow & expensive: Interviewers must travel, so cost and time are high.
• Limited area: Hard to cover large geographic regions.
• Low anonymity: Respondents may not feel comfortable revealing personal info.
• Difficult follow-up: Hard to recontact people later.
Special feature: Visual aids or product samples can be shown during the interview.
2. Mall Intercept Interview
Explanation: Interviewers stop people in shopping malls and ask them to participate.
Advantages:
• Fast: Data collected quickly.
• Flexible: Can use visuals or short demonstrations.
• Moderate cost: Cheaper than door-to-door interviews.
Disadvantages:
• Urban bias: Only covers people who visit malls (not representative).
• Lower cooperation: Some shoppers refuse or are in a hurry.
• High interviewer influence: The interviewer’s presence may affect responses.
• Hard follow-up: Difficult to contact respondents again.
Special feature: Useful for product tests or advertising feedback (e.g., taste tests,
watching TV ads).
B. TELEPHONE SURVEYS
Explanation: Interviewers call people to ask questions by phone.
Advantages:
• Very fast: Data collected quickly from many people.
• Wide coverage: Can reach people across different cities or regions.
• Good supervision: Centralized call centers allow quality control.
• Moderate cost: Cheaper than personal interviews.
• Easy follow-up: Respondents can be re-contacted easily.
Disadvantages:
• Limited question length: People lose interest on long calls.
• Moderate misunderstanding: No visual help, may mishear questions.
• Some bias: Interviewer tone or voice may influence answers.
• Moderate anonymity: Not fully private.
C. SELF-ADMINISTERED QUESTIONNAIRES
Explanation: Respondents fill out the survey themselves without an interviewer.
Types include:
• Mail questionnaires
• Fax
• Email
• Online/Internet surveys
1. Mail Surveys
Explanation: Questionnaires are sent and returned by mail.
Advantages:
• Wide reach: Can reach anyone with a mailing address.
• High anonymity: No interviewer present, so respondents feel safe giving honest
answers.
• Low cost: Cheapest of all methods.
• Flexible timing: Respondents can answer whenever they want.
Disadvantages:
• Very slow: Takes time for mail delivery and return.
• Low response rate: Many people ignore or throw away the survey.
• High misunderstanding: No one to clarify confusing questions.
• High item nonresponse: Some questions may be skipped.
How to Improve Mail Survey Response Rates
• Write a friendly, sales-like cover letter.
• Offer money or small gifts (can also be for charity).
• Use interesting questions to keep attention.
• Send follow-up reminders to non-respondents.
• Send advance notice before the survey.
• Get support from a well-known organization (increases trust).
2. E-Mail Questionnaire Surveys
Explanation: Surveys sent via email; responses are returned electronically.
Advantages:
• Instant results: Very fast data collection.
• Worldwide access: Can reach respondents anywhere.
• Low cost: No printing or postage needed.
Disadvantages:
• Limited design: Some email systems can’t display fancy layouts.
• Security risk: Emails can be intercepted or read by others.
• Seen as spam: Some people ignore or delete the email.
• Different devices: May not appear the same on all computers or phones.
3. Internet (Online) Surveys
Explanation: Questionnaires are hosted on a website; respondents answer by clicking or
selecting options.
Advantages:
• Instant data collection: Results come in immediately.
• Very cost-effective: Cheaper than paper or phone surveys.
• Global reach: Anyone with internet can participate.
• Visual & interactive: Can include videos, animations, or graphics.
• Software control: Prevents missing answers (item nonresponse).
Disadvantages:
• Not everyone has internet access.
• Some have slow computers or poor tech skills.
• Possible misunderstanding: No help available for complex questions.
• Hard to follow up: Unless respondents give their email.
Other Points:
• Interviewer influence: None (fully self-administered).
• Anonymity: Can be anonymous or identified.
• Supervision: Not needed.
• Special features: Can include multimedia (graphics, video, sound).
Welcome Screen
The first page of the online survey acts like a cover letter.
It shows the company’s name, purpose of the study, and contact information in case of
problems.
D. CHOOSING THE RIGHT SURVEY METHOD
There is no single best method — it depends on your situation.
Questions to Ask Before Choosing:
1. Do respondents need help from an interviewer?
2. Are respondents interested in the topic?
3. Will they easily cooperate?
4. How quickly is data needed?
5. Is the questionnaire long or complex?
6. What is your budget?
E. PRETESTING
Explanation:
Before using the survey on a large scale, researchers test it on a small group.
Purpose:
• To find problems in questions or instructions.
• To make improvements before actual data collection.