Survey Research - Types of surveys: advantages and disadvantages

8 important questions on Survey Research - Types of surveys: advantages and disadvantages

What are the advantages of mail and self-administered questionnaires?

  • Directly to respondents
  • Inexpensive
  • Easy for a single researcher
  • Wide geographical area at low cost
  • Respondent can complete the questionnaire when it is convenient
  • Offer anonymity and avoid interviewer bias

What are the disadvantages of mail and self-administered questionnaires?

  • Low response rate
  • Reminder letters adds to the time and cost of data collection
  • You have no control over the conditions under which a mail quesitonnarie is completed
  • No one is present to clarify questions or to probe for more information
  • It is possible that someone other than the sampeld respondent completed the questionnaire
  • Answer questions in a different order than what you intended
  • Incomplete questionnaires
  • Limits the kinds of questions usable
  • Ill suited for the illiterate or near-illiterate

What are the disadvantages of web surveys?

  • Sampling and unequal internet access or use
  • Self-selection
  • Verify respondents needed
  • Technical glitches  
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What are the advantages of web surveys?

They are fast and inexpensive and allow a flexible design.

What are the disadvantages of telephone interviews?

  • Higher cost
  • Limited length
  • Respondents without a telephone are impossible to reach
  • Reduces anonymity
  • Interviewer bias
  • Questions requiring visual aids are impossible
  • Sampling cell phone numbers is possible, but it is more difficult, more costly and has lower rates of survey participation

What are the advantages of telephone interviews?

  • Entire population can be reached
  • PRocess is traightforward
  • Acceptable response rates
  • Flexible
  • Control the sequence of quesions

What are the disadvantages of face-to-face interviews?

  • High costs
  • Training, travel, supervision and personnel costs
  • Interviewer bias
  • Interviewer supervision is less

What are the advantages of face to face interviews?

  • Highest response rates
  • Permit the longerst questionnaires
  • Interviewers can also observe the surroundings and can use nonverbal communication and visual aids.

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