planning a survey research

Planning a Survey: 6 Step Guide + Best Practices

1. Set Objectives

• 2. Define Audience
• 3. Distribution Method
• 4. Organize Data

5. Draft the Survey

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Planning a survey involves six steps: Set objectives, define the target audience, select the distribution method, organize external data, draft the survey, and then test. Following these steps will ensure you collect actionable feedback from your survey.

This guide will go over each of the six steps in detail. However, before covering those steps, it’s essential to consider some best practices when planning a survey.

Survey Best Practices

Keep your survey as short as possible..

A  dissertation by BYU  found that shorter surveys had almost a 2:1 odds ratio of being completed compared to longer surveys. The paper also mentions that surveys under 1000 words have a higher completion rate.

Only ask the questions you truly need. Don’t ask questions like “what store did you purchase from” or “what was the date of your order”. Instead, include that data automatically in the survey with a query string or custom data.

Using question types like a Likert Scale will also help reduce the length of each page. For example, you combine a list of questions that ask “how satisfied are you” into one question with multiple rows.

Group Similar Questions Together

Suppose your survey deals with multiple topics; group those topics on the same page. This will help increase the readability of your survey and keep your respondents focused.

Along the same lines, try not to put each question on a separate page. You want to limit the number of pages your survey has to avoid fatigue. In addition, putting each question on one page only increases the number of clicks needed to complete the study, which could adversely impact response rates.

Use Skip Logic

Skip logic will ensure that only relevant questions are shown to the user. For example, if you had one set of questions that related to males and another set of questions for females, then you can use skip logic to only show the relevant questions to each gender. Page one would ask for the gender and be used to build the skip logic rules.

Use a Net Promoter Score Question

Always include a Net Promoter Score question if you’re doing any customer or employee satisfaction survey. Net Promoter Score question asks survey respondents to rate the likelihood they would recommend a company, product, or service to a friend or colleague. When the results are tallied, one number ranging from -100 to 100 is displayed. This number makes it easy to set goals for improving your score.

The follow-up for a Net Promoter score question is usually an open-ended textbox question. This can be used to help determine why scores are high or low. On SurveyKing and other platforms, open-ended text questions can be automatically tagged using natural language processing . For example, many answers for an employee survey might talk about “paid time off.” The reporting section will then list a count of all “paid time off” related questions, and you’d be able to quantify how big of an issue this is.

The Net Promoter Score is an important concept when planning a survey. When used appropriately, it keeps your survey short and provides excellent data points.

Understand and Use Research Questions

One of the most significant inefficiencies encountered when a survey is poorly planned is using inefficient question types. For example, frequently, people will use ranking or rating questions to try and distinguish what is most important for a product or service. Similarly, when researching pricing, people will use an input box simply asking for a preferred price. Unfortunately, these question types are ineffective and sometimes can add unnecessary clutter to the design.

When researching and you want to understand what is LEAST and MOST important to your audience, then use a MaxDiff question. For example, if pricing research, use a Gabor Granger or Van Westendorp Question.

6 Steps to Planning a Survey

While every survey project is different, following these six steps when planning a survey will ensure that you efficiently collect actionable data.

Objectives  s hould be clear and concise. These objectives will drive the survey’s design and what questions are asked. Specific goals will make the survey design easier as any questions non directly related to the objects should be removed.

For example, if doing a product research survey, don’t ask about customer satisfaction. Instead, stick to only asking questions about the product.

2. Define the Target Audience

Depending on your objectives, you might only want opinions from a subset of your customers. You can use a sample size calculator to see how many responses you need to make your results statistical significance.

If it looks like your target audience will be too small to provide meaningful data, you can use a survey panel to buy targeted responses. A good survey panel will give you various demographic options to better target the needed audience.

3. Select the Distribution Method

Depending on your audience and the specific objectives, you might need different distribution methods. Make sure you plan exactly how to use each distribution method you use.

On the SurveyKing platform, here are the distribution methods above. Generally, this is similar to all survey platforms:

• Web L ink – The link can be placed in emails, web pages, or social media. Custom data be added to the link with a query string. This data can include customer numbers, email addresses, or order numbers to track results internally.
• Anonymous Link – Similar to a web link, but only one anonymous link is available per survey. This includes a seal at the top where respondents can learn how identities are protected. Anonymous links are commonly used in employee surveys.
• Email Campaigns – Emails sent directly from the SurveyKing platform. The user uploads a list of emails, and then the platform sends them. The benefits here are being able to track click and open rates. In addition, each respondent gets a unique link, which helps prevent duplicate responses.
• QR Code Surveys – Respondents can scan the QR code to take the survey. This is perfect for including product packaging or receipts to capture customer feedback quickly. Union surveys also utilize QR codes, which can be placed on flyers in break rooms.
• Targeted Responses – If your sample size is too small, you can respond from a panel . Generally, responses start at $2 USD per completed response and include the more specific your audience needs to be in the cost. When planning your survey, include a budget for any panel costs.

For collecting customer feedback, email surveys are usually a great option. Emails can be triggered after a customer makes a purchase. You’d want to ensure your survey plan includes the specific time to send the customers. It’s a good idea to wait until the customer has used the product before sending a survey; usually, 24 hours after delivery is a good idea.

4. Organize External Data

This step is critical to ensuring your survey design is as effective as possible. For example, if doing a customer survey, you might want only to ask customers who have purchased in the last six months. Or if you’re conducting product research, you might need to pull a list of all related products sold to create a comprehensive list of features to use in a MaxDiff study.

If your organization uses tools like SAP , you can create reports to extract a customer list. Or you may need to write a SQL query to get the list. Regardless of how you collect the data, having all external data in front of you before drafting the survey is essential in making efficient survey questions.

The first step to drafting a survey is collaborating with other team members on the base set of questions. A shared Google doc is a good option. Changes can easily be made without needing to go back and constantly edit inside a survey platform.

Using a Google Doc also allows you to copy and paste those questions into SurveyKing import module. Once imported, you can make small adjustments to the questions and add things like skip logic.

6. Test the Survey

Testing is crucial to enduing your survey project is a success. Testing should include multiple people on your team. Here is a quick list of things you should be testing for:

• Grammar Errors – Read over all the questions and instructions carefully. Grammar errors can  negatively impact brand reputation .
• Question Order – Do questions follow a logical order? If no, edit the order.
• Skip Logic – Test all scenarios if you have any skip logic rules in place. If using rules that flow to multiple pages, be sure that the survey ends early for different branches. For example, if questions for “males” is on page 2, and questions for females is on page “page 3, then the survey should end after page 2 for males.
• If using query strings, submit a few test responses to ensure the query strings are pulling in the correct variables and data. On the SurveyKing platform, query strings should always start with the & sign, and the variable “id” is restricted.
• Submit a few test responses to ensure the results are what you want. Test responses can also help new team members understand research questions like MaxDiff.

ABOUT THE AUTOR

Allen is the founder of SurveyKing. A former CPA and government auditor, he understands how important quality data is in decision making. He continues to help SurveyKing accomplish their main goal: providing organizations around the world with low-cost high-quality feedback tools.

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• Knowledge Base
• Methodology
• Doing Survey Research | A Step-by-Step Guide & Examples

Doing Survey Research | A Step-by-Step Guide & Examples

Published on 6 May 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 10 October 2022.

Survey research means collecting information about a group of people by asking them questions and analysing the results. To conduct an effective survey, follow these six steps:

• Determine who will participate in the survey
• Decide the type of survey (mail, online, or in-person)
• Design the survey questions and layout
• Distribute the survey
• Analyse the responses
• Write up the results

Surveys are a flexible method of data collection that can be used in many different types of research .

Table of contents

What are surveys used for, step 1: define the population and sample, step 2: decide on the type of survey, step 3: design the survey questions, step 4: distribute the survey and collect responses, step 5: analyse the survey results, step 6: write up the survey results, frequently asked questions about surveys.

Surveys are used as a method of gathering data in many different fields. They are a good choice when you want to find out about the characteristics, preferences, opinions, or beliefs of a group of people.

Common uses of survey research include:

• Social research: Investigating the experiences and characteristics of different social groups
• Market research: Finding out what customers think about products, services, and companies
• Health research: Collecting data from patients about symptoms and treatments
• Politics: Measuring public opinion about parties and policies
• Psychology: Researching personality traits, preferences, and behaviours

Surveys can be used in both cross-sectional studies , where you collect data just once, and longitudinal studies , where you survey the same sample several times over an extended period.

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Before you start conducting survey research, you should already have a clear research question that defines what you want to find out. Based on this question, you need to determine exactly who you will target to participate in the survey.

Populations

The target population is the specific group of people that you want to find out about. This group can be very broad or relatively narrow. For example:

• The population of Brazil
• University students in the UK
• Second-generation immigrants in the Netherlands
• Customers of a specific company aged 18 to 24
• British transgender women over the age of 50

Your survey should aim to produce results that can be generalised to the whole population. That means you need to carefully define exactly who you want to draw conclusions about.

It’s rarely possible to survey the entire population of your research – it would be very difficult to get a response from every person in Brazil or every university student in the UK. Instead, you will usually survey a sample from the population.

The sample size depends on how big the population is. You can use an online sample calculator to work out how many responses you need.

There are many sampling methods that allow you to generalise to broad populations. In general, though, the sample should aim to be representative of the population as a whole. The larger and more representative your sample, the more valid your conclusions.

There are two main types of survey:

• A questionnaire , where a list of questions is distributed by post, online, or in person, and respondents fill it out themselves
• An interview , where the researcher asks a set of questions by phone or in person and records the responses

Which type you choose depends on the sample size and location, as well as the focus of the research.

Questionnaires

Sending out a paper survey by post is a common method of gathering demographic information (for example, in a government census of the population).

• You can easily access a large sample.
• You have some control over who is included in the sample (e.g., residents of a specific region).
• The response rate is often low.

Online surveys are a popular choice for students doing dissertation research , due to the low cost and flexibility of this method. There are many online tools available for constructing surveys, such as SurveyMonkey and Google Forms .

• You can quickly access a large sample without constraints on time or location.
• The data is easy to process and analyse.
• The anonymity and accessibility of online surveys mean you have less control over who responds.

If your research focuses on a specific location, you can distribute a written questionnaire to be completed by respondents on the spot. For example, you could approach the customers of a shopping centre or ask all students to complete a questionnaire at the end of a class.

• You can screen respondents to make sure only people in the target population are included in the sample.
• You can collect time- and location-specific data (e.g., the opinions of a shop’s weekday customers).
• The sample size will be smaller, so this method is less suitable for collecting data on broad populations.

Oral interviews are a useful method for smaller sample sizes. They allow you to gather more in-depth information on people’s opinions and preferences. You can conduct interviews by phone or in person.

• You have personal contact with respondents, so you know exactly who will be included in the sample in advance.
• You can clarify questions and ask for follow-up information when necessary.
• The lack of anonymity may cause respondents to answer less honestly, and there is more risk of researcher bias.

Like questionnaires, interviews can be used to collect quantitative data : the researcher records each response as a category or rating and statistically analyses the results. But they are more commonly used to collect qualitative data : the interviewees’ full responses are transcribed and analysed individually to gain a richer understanding of their opinions and feelings.

Next, you need to decide which questions you will ask and how you will ask them. It’s important to consider:

• The type of questions
• The content of the questions
• The phrasing of the questions
• The ordering and layout of the survey

Open-ended vs closed-ended questions

There are two main forms of survey questions: open-ended and closed-ended. Many surveys use a combination of both.

Closed-ended questions give the respondent a predetermined set of answers to choose from. A closed-ended question can include:

• A binary answer (e.g., yes/no or agree/disagree )
• A scale (e.g., a Likert scale with five points ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree )
• A list of options with a single answer possible (e.g., age categories)
• A list of options with multiple answers possible (e.g., leisure interests)

Closed-ended questions are best for quantitative research . They provide you with numerical data that can be statistically analysed to find patterns, trends, and correlations .

Open-ended questions are best for qualitative research. This type of question has no predetermined answers to choose from. Instead, the respondent answers in their own words.

Open questions are most common in interviews, but you can also use them in questionnaires. They are often useful as follow-up questions to ask for more detailed explanations of responses to the closed questions.

The content of the survey questions

To ensure the validity and reliability of your results, you need to carefully consider each question in the survey. All questions should be narrowly focused with enough context for the respondent to answer accurately. Avoid questions that are not directly relevant to the survey’s purpose.

When constructing closed-ended questions, ensure that the options cover all possibilities. If you include a list of options that isn’t exhaustive, you can add an ‘other’ field.

Phrasing the survey questions

In terms of language, the survey questions should be as clear and precise as possible. Tailor the questions to your target population, keeping in mind their level of knowledge of the topic.

Use language that respondents will easily understand, and avoid words with vague or ambiguous meanings. Make sure your questions are phrased neutrally, with no bias towards one answer or another.

Ordering the survey questions

The questions should be arranged in a logical order. Start with easy, non-sensitive, closed-ended questions that will encourage the respondent to continue.

If the survey covers several different topics or themes, group together related questions. You can divide a questionnaire into sections to help respondents understand what is being asked in each part.

If a question refers back to or depends on the answer to a previous question, they should be placed directly next to one another.

Before you start, create a clear plan for where, when, how, and with whom you will conduct the survey. Determine in advance how many responses you require and how you will gain access to the sample.

When you are satisfied that you have created a strong research design suitable for answering your research questions, you can conduct the survey through your method of choice – by post, online, or in person.

There are many methods of analysing the results of your survey. First you have to process the data, usually with the help of a computer program to sort all the responses. You should also cleanse the data by removing incomplete or incorrectly completed responses.

If you asked open-ended questions, you will have to code the responses by assigning labels to each response and organising them into categories or themes. You can also use more qualitative methods, such as thematic analysis , which is especially suitable for analysing interviews.

Statistical analysis is usually conducted using programs like SPSS or Stata. The same set of survey data can be subject to many analyses.

Finally, when you have collected and analysed all the necessary data, you will write it up as part of your thesis, dissertation , or research paper .

In the methodology section, you describe exactly how you conducted the survey. You should explain the types of questions you used, the sampling method, when and where the survey took place, and the response rate. You can include the full questionnaire as an appendix and refer to it in the text if relevant.

Then introduce the analysis by describing how you prepared the data and the statistical methods you used to analyse it. In the results section, you summarise the key results from your analysis.

A Likert scale is a rating scale that quantitatively assesses opinions, attitudes, or behaviours. It is made up of four or more questions that measure a single attitude or trait when response scores are combined.

To use a Likert scale in a survey , you present participants with Likert-type questions or statements, and a continuum of items, usually with five or seven possible responses, to capture their degree of agreement.

Individual Likert-type questions are generally considered ordinal data , because the items have clear rank order, but don’t have an even distribution.

Overall Likert scale scores are sometimes treated as interval data. These scores are considered to have directionality and even spacing between them.

The type of data determines what statistical tests you should use to analyse your data.

A questionnaire is a data collection tool or instrument, while a survey is an overarching research method that involves collecting and analysing data from people using questionnaires.

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7 steps when conducting survey research: A beginner-friendly guide

• May 17, 2022

Steps of survey method: Things to know before conducting survey research

Pay attention to questions, step 2: define the population and sample (who will participate in the survey), are interviews or in-person surveys better than written ones, online surveys are the easiest way to reach a broad audience, mail surveys: control who participates, types of questions: what are the most common questions used in survey research, content, phrasing, and the order of questions, step 5: distribute the survey and gather responses, step 6: analyze the collected data, step 7: create a report based on survey results, last but not least: frequently asked questions, follow the seven steps of survey research with surveyplanet.

Conducting survey research encompasses gaining insight from a diverse group of people by asking questions and analyzing answers. It is the best way to collect information about people’s preferences, beliefs, characteristics, and related information.

The key to a good survey is asking relevant questions that will provide needed information. Surveys can be used one-time or repeatedly.

Wondering how to conduct survey research correctly?

This article will lay out—even if you are a beginner—the seven steps of conducting survey research with guidance on how to successfully carrying it out.

How to conduct survey research in 7 steps

Conducting survey research typically involves several key things to do. Here are the most common seven steps in conducting survey research:

Step 1: Identify research goals and objectives

Step 3: decide on the type of survey method to use, step 4: design and write questions.

These survey method steps provide a general framework for conducting research. But keep in mind that specific details and requirements may vary based on research context and objectives.

To understand the process of conducting a survey, start at the beginning. Conducting a survey consists of several steps, each equally important to the outcome.

Before conducting survey research, here are some resources you might find helpful regarding different methods, such as focus group interviews , survey sampling , and qualitative research methods . Learn why a market research survey is important and how to utilize it for your business research goals.

Finally, it is always a good idea to understand what is the difference between a survey and a questionnaire .

The first of seven steps in conducting survey research is to identify the goal of the research.

This will help with subsequent steps, like finding the right audience and designing appropriate questions. In addition, it will provide insight into what data is most important.

By identifying goals, several questions will be answered: What type of information am I collecting? Is it general or specific? Is it for a particular or broad audience? Research goals will define the answers to these questions and help focus the purpose of the survey and its goal.

An objective is a specific action that helps achieve research goals. Usually, for every goal, there are several objectives.

The answers collected from a survey are only helpful if used properly. Determining goals will provide a better idea of what it is you want to learn and make it easier to design questions. However, setting goals and objectives can be confusing. Ask the following questions:

• What is the subject or topic of the research? This will clarify feedback that is needed and subjects requiring further input.
• What do I want to learn? The first step is knowing what precisely needs to be learned about a particular subject.
• What am I looking to achieve with the collected data? This will help define how the survey will be used to improve, adjudicate, and understand a specific subject.

Uncertain about how to write a good survey question ? We got you covered.

Who is the target audience from which information is being gathered? This is the demographic group that will participate in the survey. To successfully define this group, narrow down a specific population segment that will provide accurate and unbiased information.

Depending on the kind of information required, this group can be broad—for example the population of Florida—or it can be relatively narrow, like consumers of a specific product who are between the ages of 18 and 24.

It is rarely possible to survey the entire population being researched. Instead, a sample population is surveyed. This should represent the subject population as a whole. The number required depends on various factors, mainly the size of the subject population. Therefore, the larger and more representative the sample is the more valid the survey.

Precisely determine what mode of collecting data will be used. The ways to conduct a survey depend on sample size, location, types of questions, and the costs of conducting the research. Not sure how many people you need to survey to be statistically significant!? Use our survey sample size calculator and determine your needed survey size.

Based on the purpose of the research, there are various methods of conducting a survey:

In-person surveys are useful for smaller sample sizes since they allow for the gathering of more detailed information on the survey’s subject. They can be conducted either by phone or in person.

The advantage of interviews is that the interviewer can clarify questions and seek additional information. The main risk with this method is researcher bias or respondent equivocation, though a skilled interviewer is usually able to eliminate these issues.

If the correct steps are followed, conducting an online survey has many advantages, such as cost efficiency and flexibility. In addition, online surveys can reach either a vast audience or a very focused one, depending on your needs.

Online tools are the most effective method of conducting a survey. They can be used by anyone and easily customized for any target group. There are many kinds of online surveys that can be sent via email, hosted on a website, or advertised through social media.

To follow the correct steps for conducting a survey, get help from SurveyPlanet . All you need to do is sign up for an account . Creating perfect surveys will be at your fingertips.

Delivered to the respondents’ email addresses, mail surveys access a large sample group and provide control over who is included in the sample. Though increasingly the most common survey research method, response rates are now relatively low .

To get the best response rate results, read our blogs How to write eye-catching survey emails and What’s the best time to send survey emails ?

Survey questions play a significant role in successful research. Therefore, when deciding what questions to ask—and how to ask them—it is crucial to consider various factors.

Choose between closed-ended and open-ended questions. Closed-ended questions have predefined answer options, while open-ended ones enable respondents to shape an answer in their own words.

Before deciding which to use, get acquainted with the options available. Some common types of research questions include:

• Demographic questions
• Multiple-choice questions
• Rating scale questions
• Likert scale questions
• Yes or no questions
• Ranking questions
• Image choice questions

To make sure results are reliable, each question in a survey needs to be formulated carefully. Each should be directly relevant to the survey’s purpose and include enough information to be answered accurately.

If using closed-ended questions, make sure the available answers cover all possibilities. In addition, questions should be clear and precise without any vagueness and in the language idiom respondents will understand.

When organizing questions, make sure the order is logical. For example, easy and closed-ended questions encourage respondents to continue—they should be at the beginning of the survey. More difficult and complex questions should come later. Related questions should be clustered together and, if there are several topics covered, then related questions should be grouped.

Surveys can be distributed in person, over the phone, via email, or with an online form.

When creating a survey, first determine the number of responses required and how to access the survey sample. It is essential to monitor the response rate. This is calculated by dividing the number of respondents who answered the survey by the number of people in the sample.

There are various methods of conducting a survey and also different methods of analyzing the data collected. After processing and sorting responses (usually with the help of a computer), clean the data by removing incomplete or inaccurate responses.

Different data analysis methods should be used depending on the type of questions utilized. For example, open-ended questions require a bucketing approach in which labels are added to each response and grouped into categories.

Closed-ended questions need statistical analysis. For interviews, use a qualitative method (like thematic analysis) and for Likert scale questions use analysis tools (mean, median, and mode).

Other practical analyzing methods are cross-tabulation and filtering. Filtering can help in understanding the respondent pool better and be used to organize results so that data analysis is quicker and more accessible.

If using an online survey tool, data will be compiled automatically, so the only thing needed is identifying patterns and trends.

The last of the seven steps in conducting survey research is creating a report. Analyzed data should be translated into units of information that directly correspond to the aims and goals identified before creating the survey.

Depending on the formality of the report, include different kinds of information:

• Initial aims and goals
• Methods of creation and distribution
• How the target audience or sample was selected
• Methods of analysis
• The results of the survey
• Problems encountered and whether they influenced results
• Conclusion and recommendations
• What’s the best way to select my survey sample size? One must carefully consider the survey sample size to ensure accurate results. Please read our complete guide to survey sample size and find all the answers.
• How do I design an effective survey instrument? Try out SurveyPlanet PRO features including compelling survey theme templates.
• How do I analyze and interpret survey data? Glad you asked! We got you covered. Learn how to analyze survey data and what to do with survey responses by reading our blog.
• What should I consider in terms of ethical practices in survey research? Exploring ethical considerations related to obtaining informed consent, ensuring privacy, and handling sensitive data might be helpful. Start with learning how to write more inclusive surveys .
• How do I address common survey challenges and errors? Explore strategies to overcome common issues, such as response bias or question-wording problems .
• How can I maximize survey response rates? Seeking advice on strategies to encourage higher response rates and minimize non-response bias is a first step. Start by finding out what is a good survey response rate .
• How can I ensure the validity and reliability of my survey results? Learn about methods to enhance the trustworthiness of survey data .

Now that we’ve gone through the seven steps in survey research and understand how to conduct survey research, why not create your own survey and conduct research that will drive better choices and decisions?

Were these seven steps helpful? Then check out Seven tips for creating an exceptional survey design (with examples) and How to conduct online surveys in seven simple steps as well.

Sign up for a SurveyPlanet account to access pre-made questions and survey themes. And, if you upgrade to a SurveyPlanet Pro account, gain access to many unique tools that will enhance your survey creation and analysis experience.

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Survey Research: Definition, Examples and Methods

Survey Research is a quantitative research method used for collecting data from a set of respondents. It has been perhaps one of the most used methodologies in the industry for several years due to the multiple benefits and advantages that it has when collecting and analyzing data.

LEARN ABOUT: Behavioral Research

In this article, you will learn everything about survey research, such as types, methods, and examples.

Survey Research Definition

Survey Research is defined as the process of conducting research using surveys that researchers send to survey respondents. The data collected from surveys is then statistically analyzed to draw meaningful research conclusions. In the 21st century, every organization’s eager to understand what their customers think about their products or services and make better business decisions. Researchers can conduct research in multiple ways, but surveys are proven to be one of the most effective and trustworthy research methods. An online survey is a method for extracting information about a significant business matter from an individual or a group of individuals. It consists of structured survey questions that motivate the participants to respond. Creditable survey research can give these businesses access to a vast information bank. Organizations in media, other companies, and even governments rely on survey research to obtain accurate data.

The traditional definition of survey research is a quantitative method for collecting information from a pool of respondents by asking multiple survey questions. This research type includes the recruitment of individuals collection, and analysis of data. It’s useful for researchers who aim to communicate new features or trends to their respondents.

LEARN ABOUT: Level of Analysis Generally, it’s the primary step towards obtaining quick information about mainstream topics and conducting more rigorous and detailed quantitative research methods like surveys/polls or qualitative research methods like focus groups/on-call interviews can follow. There are many situations where researchers can conduct research using a blend of both qualitative and quantitative strategies.

LEARN ABOUT: Survey Sampling

Survey Research Methods

Survey research methods can be derived based on two critical factors: Survey research tool and time involved in conducting research. There are three main survey research methods, divided based on the medium of conducting survey research:

• Online/ Email:   Online survey research is one of the most popular survey research methods today. The survey cost involved in online survey research is extremely minimal, and the responses gathered are highly accurate.
• Phone:  Survey research conducted over the telephone ( CATI survey ) can be useful in collecting data from a more extensive section of the target population. There are chances that the money invested in phone surveys will be higher than other mediums, and the time required will be higher.
• Face-to-face:  Researchers conduct face-to-face in-depth interviews in situations where there is a complicated problem to solve. The response rate for this method is the highest, but it can be costly.

Further, based on the time taken, survey research can be classified into two methods:

• Longitudinal survey research:  Longitudinal survey research involves conducting survey research over a continuum of time and spread across years and decades. The data collected using this survey research method from one time period to another is qualitative or quantitative. Respondent behavior, preferences, and attitudes are continuously observed over time to analyze reasons for a change in behavior or preferences. For example, suppose a researcher intends to learn about the eating habits of teenagers. In that case, he/she will follow a sample of teenagers over a considerable period to ensure that the collected information is reliable. Often, cross-sectional survey research follows a longitudinal study .
• Cross-sectional survey research:  Researchers conduct a cross-sectional survey to collect insights from a target audience at a particular time interval. This survey research method is implemented in various sectors such as retail, education, healthcare, SME businesses, etc. Cross-sectional studies can either be descriptive or analytical. It is quick and helps researchers collect information in a brief period. Researchers rely on the cross-sectional survey research method in situations where descriptive analysis of a subject is required.

Survey research also is bifurcated according to the sampling methods used to form samples for research: Probability and Non-probability sampling. Every individual in a population should be considered equally to be a part of the survey research sample. Probability sampling is a sampling method in which the researcher chooses the elements based on probability theory. The are various probability research methods, such as simple random sampling , systematic sampling, cluster sampling, stratified random sampling, etc. Non-probability sampling is a sampling method where the researcher uses his/her knowledge and experience to form samples.

LEARN ABOUT: Survey Sample Sizes

The various non-probability sampling techniques are :

• Convenience sampling
• Snowball sampling
• Consecutive sampling
• Judgemental sampling
• Quota sampling

Process of implementing survey research methods:

• Decide survey questions:  Brainstorm and put together valid survey questions that are grammatically and logically appropriate. Understanding the objective and expected outcomes of the survey helps a lot. There are many surveys where details of responses are not as important as gaining insights about what customers prefer from the provided options. In such situations, a researcher can include multiple-choice questions or closed-ended questions . Whereas, if researchers need to obtain details about specific issues, they can consist of open-ended questions in the questionnaire. Ideally, the surveys should include a smart balance of open-ended and closed-ended questions. Use survey questions like Likert Scale , Semantic Scale, Net Promoter Score question, etc., to avoid fence-sitting.

LEARN ABOUT: System Usability Scale

• Finalize a target audience:  Send out relevant surveys as per the target audience and filter out irrelevant questions as per the requirement. The survey research will be instrumental in case the target population decides on a sample. This way, results can be according to the desired market and be generalized to the entire population.

LEARN ABOUT:  Testimonial Questions

• Send out surveys via decided mediums:  Distribute the surveys to the target audience and patiently wait for the feedback and comments- this is the most crucial step of the survey research. The survey needs to be scheduled, keeping in mind the nature of the target audience and its regions. Surveys can be conducted via email, embedded in a website, shared via social media, etc., to gain maximum responses.
• Analyze survey results:  Analyze the feedback in real-time and identify patterns in the responses which might lead to a much-needed breakthrough for your organization. GAP, TURF Analysis , Conjoint analysis, Cross tabulation, and many such survey feedback analysis methods can be used to spot and shed light on respondent behavior. Researchers can use the results to implement corrective measures to improve customer/employee satisfaction.

Reasons to conduct survey research

The most crucial and integral reason for conducting market research using surveys is that you can collect answers regarding specific, essential questions. You can ask these questions in multiple survey formats as per the target audience and the intent of the survey. Before designing a study, every organization must figure out the objective of carrying this out so that the study can be structured, planned, and executed to perfection.

LEARN ABOUT: Research Process Steps

Questions that need to be on your mind while designing a survey are:

• What is the primary aim of conducting the survey?
• How do you plan to utilize the collected survey data?
• What type of decisions do you plan to take based on the points mentioned above?

There are three critical reasons why an organization must conduct survey research.

• Understand respondent behavior to get solutions to your queries:  If you’ve carefully curated a survey, the respondents will provide insights about what they like about your organization as well as suggestions for improvement. To motivate them to respond, you must be very vocal about how secure their responses will be and how you will utilize the answers. This will push them to be 100% honest about their feedback, opinions, and comments. Online surveys or mobile surveys have proved their privacy, and due to this, more and more respondents feel free to put forth their feedback through these mediums.
• Present a medium for discussion:  A survey can be the perfect platform for respondents to provide criticism or applause for an organization. Important topics like product quality or quality of customer service etc., can be put on the table for discussion. A way you can do it is by including open-ended questions where the respondents can write their thoughts. This will make it easy for you to correlate your survey to what you intend to do with your product or service.
• Strategy for never-ending improvements:  An organization can establish the target audience’s attributes from the pilot phase of survey research . Researchers can use the criticism and feedback received from this survey to improve the product/services. Once the company successfully makes the improvements, it can send out another survey to measure the change in feedback keeping the pilot phase the benchmark. By doing this activity, the organization can track what was effectively improved and what still needs improvement.

Survey Research Scales

There are four main scales for the measurement of variables:

• Nominal Scale:  A nominal scale associates numbers with variables for mere naming or labeling, and the numbers usually have no other relevance. It is the most basic of the four levels of measurement.
• Ordinal Scale:  The ordinal scale has an innate order within the variables along with labels. It establishes the rank between the variables of a scale but not the difference value between the variables.
• Interval Scale:  The interval scale is a step ahead in comparison to the other two scales. Along with establishing a rank and name of variables, the scale also makes known the difference between the two variables. The only drawback is that there is no fixed start point of the scale, i.e., the actual zero value is absent.
• Ratio Scale:  The ratio scale is the most advanced measurement scale, which has variables that are labeled in order and have a calculated difference between variables. In addition to what interval scale orders, this scale has a fixed starting point, i.e., the actual zero value is present.

Benefits of survey research

In case survey research is used for all the right purposes and is implemented properly, marketers can benefit by gaining useful, trustworthy data that they can use to better the ROI of the organization.

Other benefits of survey research are:

• Minimum investment:  Mobile surveys and online surveys have minimal finance invested per respondent. Even with the gifts and other incentives provided to the people who participate in the study, online surveys are extremely economical compared to paper-based surveys.
• Versatile sources for response collection:  You can conduct surveys via various mediums like online and mobile surveys. You can further classify them into qualitative mediums like focus groups , and interviews and quantitative mediums like customer-centric surveys. Due to the offline survey response collection option, researchers can conduct surveys in remote areas with limited internet connectivity. This can make data collection and analysis more convenient and extensive.
• Reliable for respondents:  Surveys are extremely secure as the respondent details and responses are kept safeguarded. This anonymity makes respondents answer the survey questions candidly and with absolute honesty. An organization seeking to receive explicit responses for its survey research must mention that it will be confidential.

Survey research design

Researchers implement a survey research design in cases where there is a limited cost involved and there is a need to access details easily. This method is often used by small and large organizations to understand and analyze new trends, market demands, and opinions. Collecting information through tactfully designed survey research can be much more effective and productive than a casually conducted survey.

There are five stages of survey research design:

• Decide an aim of the research:  There can be multiple reasons for a researcher to conduct a survey, but they need to decide a purpose for the research. This is the primary stage of survey research as it can mold the entire path of a survey, impacting its results.
• Filter the sample from target population:  Who to target? is an essential question that a researcher should answer and keep in mind while conducting research. The precision of the results is driven by who the members of a sample are and how useful their opinions are. The quality of respondents in a sample is essential for the results received for research and not the quantity. If a researcher seeks to understand whether a product feature will work well with their target market, he/she can conduct survey research with a group of market experts for that product or technology.
• Zero-in on a survey method:  Many qualitative and quantitative research methods can be discussed and decided. Focus groups, online interviews, surveys, polls, questionnaires, etc. can be carried out with a pre-decided sample of individuals.
• Design the questionnaire:  What will the content of the survey be? A researcher is required to answer this question to be able to design it effectively. What will the content of the cover letter be? Or what are the survey questions of this questionnaire? Understand the target market thoroughly to create a questionnaire that targets a sample to gain insights about a survey research topic.
• Send out surveys and analyze results:  Once the researcher decides on which questions to include in a study, they can send it across to the selected sample . Answers obtained from this survey can be analyzed to make product-related or marketing-related decisions.

Survey examples: 10 tips to design the perfect research survey

Picking the right survey design can be the key to gaining the information you need to make crucial decisions for all your research. It is essential to choose the right topic, choose the right question types, and pick a corresponding design. If this is your first time creating a survey, it can seem like an intimidating task. But with QuestionPro, each step of the process is made simple and easy.

Below are 10 Tips To Design The Perfect Research Survey:

• Set your SMART goals:  Before conducting any market research or creating a particular plan, set your SMART Goals . What is that you want to achieve with the survey? How will you measure it promptly, and what are the results you are expecting?
• Choose the right questions:  Designing a survey can be a tricky task. Asking the right questions may help you get the answers you are looking for and ease the task of analyzing. So, always choose those specific questions – relevant to your research.
• Begin your survey with a generalized question:  Preferably, start your survey with a general question to understand whether the respondent uses the product or not. That also provides an excellent base and intro for your survey.
• Enhance your survey:  Choose the best, most relevant, 15-20 questions. Frame each question as a different question type based on the kind of answer you would like to gather from each. Create a survey using different types of questions such as multiple-choice, rating scale, open-ended, etc. Look at more survey examples and four measurement scales every researcher should remember.
• Prepare yes/no questions:  You may also want to use yes/no questions to separate people or branch them into groups of those who “have purchased” and those who “have not yet purchased” your products or services. Once you separate them, you can ask them different questions.
• Test all electronic devices:  It becomes effortless to distribute your surveys if respondents can answer them on different electronic devices like mobiles, tablets, etc. Once you have created your survey, it’s time to TEST. You can also make any corrections if needed at this stage.
• Distribute your survey:  Once your survey is ready, it is time to share and distribute it to the right audience. You can share handouts and share them via email, social media, and other industry-related offline/online communities.
• Collect and analyze responses:  After distributing your survey, it is time to gather all responses. Make sure you store your results in a particular document or an Excel sheet with all the necessary categories mentioned so that you don’t lose your data. Remember, this is the most crucial stage. Segregate your responses based on demographics, psychographics, and behavior. This is because, as a researcher, you must know where your responses are coming from. It will help you to analyze, predict decisions, and help write the summary report.
• Prepare your summary report:  Now is the time to share your analysis. At this stage, you should mention all the responses gathered from a survey in a fixed format. Also, the reader/customer must get clarity about your goal, which you were trying to gain from the study. Questions such as – whether the product or service has been used/preferred or not. Do respondents prefer some other product to another? Any recommendations?

Having a tool that helps you carry out all the necessary steps to carry out this type of study is a vital part of any project. At QuestionPro, we have helped more than 10,000 clients around the world to carry out data collection in a simple and effective way, in addition to offering a wide range of solutions to take advantage of this data in the best possible way.

From dashboards, advanced analysis tools, automation, and dedicated functions, in QuestionPro, you will find everything you need to execute your research projects effectively. Uncover insights that matter the most!

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Market Research

How to create an effective survey in 15 simple tips

Updated August 15, 2023

You don’t have to be an expert to create a survey, but by following a few survey best practices you can make sure you’re collecting the best data possible.

Access 50+ expert-designed survey templates with a free Qualtrics Surveys account

From working out what you want to achieve to providing incentives for respondents, survey design can take time.

But when you don’t have hours to devote to becoming a survey-creation guru, a quick guide to the essentials is a great way to get started.

In this article, we’re going to reveal how to create a survey that’s easy to complete, encourages collecting feedback, hits the research questions you’re interested in, and produces data that’s easy to work with at the analysis stage .

15 Tips when creating surveys

1. define the purpose of the survey.

Before you even think about your survey questions , you need to define their purpose.

The survey’s purpose should be a clear, attainable, and relevant goal. For example, you might want to understand why customer engagement is dropping off during the middle of the sales process.

Your goal could then be something like: “I want to understand the key factors that cause engagement to dip at the middle of the sales process, including both internal and external elements.”

Or maybe you want to understand customer satisfaction post-sale. If so, the goal of your survey could be: “I want to understand how customer satisfaction is influenced by customer service and support post-sale, including through online and offline channels.”

The idea is to come up with a specific, measurable, and relevant goal for your survey. This way you ensure that your questions are tailored to what you want to achieve and that the data captured can be compared against your goal.

2. Make every question count

You’re building your survey questionnaire to obtain important insights, so every question should play a direct role in hitting that target.

Make sure each question adds value and drives survey responses that relate directly to your research goals. For example, if your participant’s precise age or home state is relevant to your results, go ahead and ask. If not, save yourself and your respondents some time and skip it.

It’s best to plan your survey by first identifying the data you need to collect and then writing your questions.

You can also incorporate multiple-choice questions to get a range of responses that provide more detail than a solid yes or no. It’s not always black and white.

For a deeper dive into the art and science of question-writing and survey best practices, check out Survey questions 101 .

3. Keep it short and simple

Although you may be deeply committed to your survey, the chances are that your respondents... aren’t.

As a survey designer, a big part of your job is keeping their attention and making sure they stay focused until the end of the survey.

Respondents are less likely to complete long surveys or surveys that bounce around haphazardly from topic to topic. Make sure your survey follows a logical order and takes a reasonable amount of time to complete.

Although they don’t need to know everything about your research project, it can help to let respondents know why you’re asking about a certain topic. Knowing the basics about who you are and what you’re researching means they’re more likely to keep their responses focused and in scope.

Access 50+ expert-designed survey templates now

4. Ask direct questions

Vaguely worded survey questions confuse respondents and make your resulting data less useful. Be as specific as possible, and strive for clear and precise language that will make your survey questions easy to answer.

It can be helpful to mention a specific situation or behavior rather than a general tendency. That way you focus the respondent on the facts of their life rather than asking them to consider abstract beliefs or ideas .

See an example:

Good survey design isn’t just about getting the information you need, but also encouraging respondents to think in different ways.

Get access to the top downloaded survey templates here

5. Ask one question at a time

Although it’s important to keep your survey as short and sweet as possible, that doesn’t mean doubling up on questions. Trying to pack too much into a single question can lead to confusion and inaccuracies in the responses.

Take a closer look at questions in your survey that contain the word “and” – it can be a red flag that your question has two parts. For example: “Which of these cell phone service providers has the best customer support and reliability?” This is problematic because a respondent may feel that one service is more reliable, but another has better customer support.

Also, if you want to go beyond surveys and develop a multi-faceted listening approach to drive meaningful change and glean actionable insights, make sure to download our guide .

6. Avoid leading and biased questions

Although you don’t intend them to, certain words and phrases can introduce bias into your questions or point the respondent in the direction of a particular answer.

As a rule of thumb, when you conduct a survey it’s best to provide only as much wording as a respondent needs to give an informed answer. Keep your question wording focused on the respondent and their opinions, rather than introducing anything that could be construed as a point of view of your own.

In particular, scrutinize adjectives and adverbs in your questions. If they’re not needed, take them out.

7. Speak your respondent's language

This tip goes hand in hand with many others in this guide – it’s about making language only as complex or as detailed as it needs to be when conducting great surveys.

Create surveys that use language and terminology that your respondents will understand. Keep the language as plain as possible, avoid technical jargon and keep sentences short. However, beware of oversimplifying a question to the point that its meaning changes.

8. Use response scales whenever possible

Response scales capture the direction and intensity of attitudes, providing rich data. In contrast, categorical or binary response options, such as true/false or yes/no response options, generally produce less informative data.

If you’re in the position of choosing between the two, the response scale is likely to be the better option.

Avoid using scales that ask your target audience to agree or disagree with statements, however. Some people are biased toward agreeing with statements , and this can result in invalid and unreliable data.

9. Avoid using grids or matrices for responses

Grids or matrices of answers demand a lot more thinking from your respondent than a scale or multiple choice question. They need to understand and weigh up multiple items at once, and oftentimes they don’t fill in grids accurately or according to their true feelings .

Another pitfall to be aware of is that grid question types aren’t mobile-friendly. It’s better to separate questions with grid responses into multiple questions in your survey with a different structure such as a response scale.

See an example using our survey tool:

10. Rephrase yes/no questions if possible in online survyes

As we’ve described, yes/no questions provide less detailed data than a response scale or multiple-choice, since they only yield one of two possible answers.

Many yes/no questions can be reworked by including phrases such as “How much,” “How often,” or “How likely.” Make this change whenever possible and include a response scale for richer data.

By rephrasing your questions in this way, your survey results will be far more comprehensive and representative of how your respondents feel.

Next? Find out how to write great questions .

11. Start with the straightforward stuff

Ease your respondent into the survey by asking easy questions at the start of your questionnaire, then moving on to more complex or thought-provoking elements once they’re engaged in the process.

This is especially valuable if you need to cover any potentially sensitive topics in your survey. Never put sensitive questions at the start of the questionnaire where they’re more likely to feel off-putting.

Your respondent will probably become more prone to fatigue and distraction towards the end of the survey, so keep your most complex or contentious questions in the middle of the survey flow rather than saving them until last.

12. Use unbalanced scales with care

Unbalanced response scales and poorly worded questions can mislead respondents.

For example, if you’ve asked them to rate a product or service and you provide a scale that includes “poor”, “satisfactory”, “good” and “excellent”, they could be swayed towards the “excellent” end of the scale because there are more positive options available.

Make sure your response scales have a definitive, neutral midpoint (aim for odd numbers of possible responses) and that they cover the whole range of possible reactions to the question .

13. Consider adding incentives

To increase the number of responses, incentives — discounts, offers, gift cards, or sweepstakes — can prove helpful.

Of course, while the benefits of offering incentives sound appealing (more respondents), there’s the possibility of attracting the opinions of the wrong audiences, such as those who are only in it for the incentive.

With this in mind, make sure you limit your surveys to your target population and carefully assess which incentives would be most valuable to them.

14. Take your survey for a test drive

Want to know how to make a survey a potential disaster? Send it out before you pre-test .

However short or straightforward your questionnaire is, it’s always a good idea to pre-test your survey before you roll it out fully so that you can catch any possible errors before they have a chance to mess up your survey results.

Share your survey with at least five people, so that they can test your survey to help you catch and correct problems before you distribute it.

15. Let us help you

Survey design doesn’t have to be difficult — even less so with the right expertise, digital solutions, and survey templates.

At Qualtrics, we provide survey software that’s used by more than 11,000 of the top brands and 99 of the top business schools worldwide.

Furthermore, we have a library of high-quality, ready-to-use, and easy-to-configure survey templates that can improve your surveys significantly.

You can check out our template marketplace here . As a free or existing customer, you have access to the complete collection and can filter by the core experiences you want to drive.

As for our survey software , it’s completely free to use and powers more than 1 billion surveys a year. Using it, you can get answers to your most important brand, market, customer, and product questions, build your own surveys, get insights from your audience wherever they are, and much, much more.

If you want to learn more about how to use our survey tool to create a survey, as well as what else it can do — check out our blog on how to create a free online survey using Qualtrics .

See instant results with our online free survey maker

Sarah Fisher

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Planning a Survey

The success of a survey starts with an intense, detailed and comprehensive planning. Before you conduct a survey, you need to begin with brainstorming about the purpose of the survey, the goals and objectives, the creation of questions, and other important details included in utilizing the survey method.

This article is a part of the guide:

• Response Scales
• Example - Questionnaire
• Advantages and Disadvantages
• Surveys and Questionnaires - Guide
• Types of Surveys

Browse Full Outline

• 1 Surveys and Questionnaires - Guide
• 2.1 Research and Surveys
• 2.2 Advantages and Disadvantages
• 2.3 Survey Design
• 2.4 Sampling
• 3.1 Defining Goals
• 4.1 Survey Layout
• 4.2 Types of Questions
• 4.3 Constructing Questions
• 4.4 Response Formats
• 4.5 Response Scales
• 5.1 Selecting Method
• 5.2 Personal Interview
• 5.3 Telephone
• 5.4.1 Preparing Online Surveys
• 5.4.2 Online Tools
• 5.5 Focus Group
• 5.6 Panel Study
• 6.1 Pilot Survey
• 6.2 Increasing Response Rates
• 7.1 Analysis and Data
• 7.2 Conclusion
• 7.3 Presenting the Results
• 8 Example - Questionnaire
• 9 Checklist

Defining Goals

Survey goals encompass the very purpose of conducting a survey . Having these goals, you will be able to create the right questions for the right participants. Survey goals will direct you to the type of survey you have to use and the type of survey administration you have to do. The survey goals also provide hints on the appropriate sample size of your survey, as well as the inclusion and exclusion criteria in terms of answering the question: “To whom should I administer the survey?”

Participant Selection

Based on the survey goals or the purpose of conducting the survey, choose the participants that will be able to effectively represent the general population . In this step of the planning phase, you should be able to determine the inclusion and exclusion criteria so only the right people can be included in the target group. For instance, if you want to do a survey about teen mothers, you should eliminate women who bore children at the age of 20 and above.

Schedule Setting

Conduct the survey in a time-bounded fashion by means of planning out a schedule. First, start with setting a date for the creating of questions . Then, set a time frame for the standardization and/or revision of the survey. After this, mark your calendar for the period of administering the surveys to the participants. Next, schedule the date for tallying, summarizing and analyzing the results of the survey.

Budget Planning

When planning a survey successfully, budget allocation should be settled. When preparing for the budget, consider first the number of people that will participate in the survey. This will give you a good estimate of how much money is needed for the reproduction of the survey.

In terms of the questions, using a standardized survey for the study may or may not require money. This depends on whether the creator of the survey allows the free use of the questionnaire or obliges payment for it. On the other hand, creating your own survey and having it standardized or verified may require payments.

Another thing that needs to be considered in planning for the budget includes the time period of conducting the survey. If you are to have a survey of a very large target group, you must set aside a budget for the compensation of people who will help you administer the survey

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Sarah Mae Sincero (May 26, 2012). Planning a Survey. Retrieved May 24, 2024 from Explorable.com: https://explorable.com/planning-a-survey

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The SAGE Handbook of Survey Methodology

• Christof Wolf - GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Germany
• Dominique Joye - University of Lausanne, Switzerland
• Tom W Smith - University of Chicago, USA, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, USA, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA
• Yang-chih Fu - Academia Sinica
• Description

Survey Methodology is becoming a more structured field of research, deserving of more and more academic attention. The SAGE Handbook of Survey Methodology explores both the increasingly scientific endeavour of surveys and their growing complexity, as different data collection modes and information sources are combined.

The handbook takes a global approach, with a team of international experts looking at local and national specificities, as well as problems of cross-national, comparative survey research. The chapters are organized into seven major sections, each of which represents a stage in the survey life-cycle:

• Surveys and Societies
• Planning a Survey
• Measurement
• Data Collection
• Preparing Data for Use
• Assessing and Improving Data Quality

The SAGE Handbook of Survey Methodology is a landmark and essential tool for any scholar within the social sciences.  

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This exciting new handbook provides a comprehensive guide to conducting survey research studies.  Authored by a distinguished set of experts from across the globe, chapters cover all phases of survey projects—from conceiving, designing and planning, through sampling, measurement, and data collection, to post-fieldwork data processing, data augmentation, and quality assessment.  Extensive attention to multi-national or cross-cultural survey projects is a special asset:  both challenges to comparability in such studies, and current practices to achieving it in vital domains including sampling, translation, and harmonization of data over space and time, are treated in depth.

The environment for conducting surveys has changed substantially in the last several decades.  New approaches to data collection and data dissemination are required, but the approaches must be adapted depending on country and culture.  This Sage handbook is an up-to-date reference that covers virtually all steps in the survey life cycle.  It contains methodological topics like survey modes, surveying in multicultural and cross-cultural contexts, questionnaire design and pretesting, and responsive design, along with statistical topics like sampling, weighting, analysis of complex surveys, and record linkage.  Coverage of distinctive areas, like ethical issues, surveys in conflict areas, question translation, and harmonization of questions across cultures, also set this book apart from others.  The handbook will be a valuable reference for survey practitioners and other professionals who need a broad overview of the many steps required to conduct high quality surveys. 

The new Sage Handbook broadens our view of survey research by including topics important for data sharing and reuse.  Data are expensive public resources, and we need more attention on issues like disclosure risk, harmonization, life-cycle documentation, and preservation.

" The SAGE Handbook of Survey Methodology is a useful resource for researchers and individuals who want to learn about the process of surveying. In an era where surveying is so hotly debated, the handbook comes at an important moment in history. This book is recommended for academic libraries."

"This thorough volume provides extensive information on understanding and creating surveys. Its 43 chapters cover important topics such as types of surveys (face-to-face, mail, internet), designing questions for surveys, sampling, administering surveys, handling ethical issues, combining administrative and survey data, and analyzing data from surveys... Summing Up: Highly recommended. Faculty and professionals"

The SAGE Handbook of Survey Methodology is a valuable compendium and reference reflecting a broad range of expertise from the survey world and beyond.The authors of the 43 chapters represent a diverse group of institutions, mainly from the United States and Europe, and bring a deep expertise on their given “assignments. For those whose research depends on the quality of survey data, especially in an international context, the Handbook is a solid and dependable anchor.

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Chapter 33 - Harmonizing Survey Questions Between Cultures and Over Time

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ChartExpo Survey

Survey Planning: Definition, Importance & Insights

Surveys have become a powerful tool for individuals and organizations to gather valuable insights.

However, successful survey planning is no walk in the park. It requires meticulous attention to detail, a knack for asking appropriate questions, and a healthy dose of creativity.

Worry not – surveys can be as exciting as a rollercoaster ride with proper planning.

We have created a roadmap that will guide you through the entire process. From defining your objectives to analyzing the results. We’ll share some witty tips and tricks that will make your survey stand out from the crowd.

Think of us as your trusty GPS, guiding you toward the most efficient data collection and analysis routes. And don’t worry. We won’t leave you stranded on the roadside with a flat tire of inadequate response rates.

Ultimately, you’ll be able to create real-impact surveys and gather valuable insights. You’ll also leave your respondents feeling like they’ve truly been heard.

You will also have fun doing it.

Table of Contents:

What is survey planning, why is survey planning important.

• Steps for Survey Planning?

How to Examine Responses after Survey Planning?

• Common Challenges in Survey Planning and How to Overcome Them?

Let’s get started.

Definition: Survey planning is like a treasure hunt, but you dig up information instead of finding treasure. It involves outlining objectives and determining the target population to be surveyed. It is a critical step in ensuring accurate and valuable information is obtained from surveys.

Survey planning is crucial for several reasons:

• Objective and Focus: Planning helps clarify the purpose and objectives of the survey. It ensures the survey questions align with the specific information needed and the survey’s goals. This helps in collecting relevant and meaningful data.
• Target audience: Planning enables you to accurately identify and define your target audience. Understanding the target audience’s characteristics and demographics helps you design appropriate survey questions. It also facilitates selecting the suitable sampling method to ensure representative results.
• Question design: Proper planning allows for thoughtful question design. It ensures that the survey questions are clear, unbiased, and easy to understand for respondents. Well-designed questions help in obtaining accurate and reliable responses.
• Resource optimization: Planning helps with effective resource allocation. It allows you to determine the appropriate type of survey  and estimate the required budget, time, and workforce.
• Ethical Considerations: Planning helps address ethical considerations related to the survey. It ensures that informed consent is obtained from participants and their privacy is protected. It also ensures the elimination of potential biases or conflicts of interest.

Steps for Survey Planning

Pay attention to these steps and considerations when writing a survey planning document:

• Define the objectives: Clearly state the purpose and goals of the survey. What specific information do you want to gather? What decisions or improvements will the survey data support?
• Identify the target audience: Describe the characteristics and demographics of the target audience. This helps you select appropriate sampling methods and ensures the survey is relevant to the intended recipients.
• Determine survey methodology:  Decide the survey method to use, such as online surveys , phone interviews, or in-person questionnaires. Consider factors like cost, time, feasibility, and reach.
• Develop survey questions:  Create survey questions that are unambiguous, brief, and impartial. Make sure they are in line with the survey objectives and capable of generating actionable insights.
• Plan data analysis:  Determine the techniques and tools you will use to examine the survey data. This includes considering statistical methods, data visualization approaches, and any necessary software or platforms for analysis.
• Address ethical considerations:  Outline steps to ensure ethical practices throughout the survey process. This includes obtaining informed consent from participants, protecting their privacy and confidentiality, and following ethical guidelines.
• Develop a timeline:  Create a timeline that outlines key milestones, including survey design , pre-testing, data collection, and analysis. This helps in managing the survey process and ensuring timely completion.
• Consider resources and budget:  Estimate the resources needed for the survey, such as personnel, technology, and budget. This allows for effective allocation and management of resources.
• Pre-test the survey:  Conduct a pilot survey to test the survey instrument and identify any issues or ambiguities. Then make the necessary revisions before launching the survey.
• Plan for data collection: Determine the data collection process, including sample selection, distribution methods, and data entry procedures. Ensure data quality control measures are in place.

Failing to plan is planning to fail, they say. And with analyzing survey data, a well-thought-out plan is essential to turn those numbers into actionable insights. Lucky for you, with ChartExpo for Excel, you can create appealing, insightful visualizations with a few clicks. Even the most complex data sets will look like a work of art.

Let’s learn how to install ChartExpo in Excel.

• Open your Excel application.
• Open the worksheet and click the “ Insert ” menu.
• You’ll see the “ My Apps ” option.
• In the office Add-ins window, click “ Store ” and search for ChartExpo on my Apps Store.
• Click the “ Add ” button to install ChartExpo in your Excel.

ChartExpo charts are available both in Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel. Please use the following CTA’s to install the tool of your choice and create beautiful visualizations in a few clicks in your favorite tool.

Let’s say you want customer feedback regarding a recently launched product. Therefore, you ask customers to complete a customer feedback survey with the following questions.

• Do you agree that the product meets your expectations in terms of quality?
• Do you agree that the product provides value for its price?
• Do you agree that the product is easy to use?

Respondents provide an answer to each question using the Likert scale below:

• Strongly Disagree=1
• Neither agree nor disagree=3
• Strongly Agree=5

Assume your survey yields the results table below.

This table contains example data. Expect many responses and questions in real life.

• To get started with ChartExpo, install  ChartExpo in Excel .
• Now Click on My Apps from the INSERT menu.

• Choose ChartExpo from My Apps , then click Insert.

• Once it loads, choose the “ Likert Scale Chart ” from the charts list.

• Click the “ Create Chart From Selection ” button after selecting the data from the sheet, as shown.

• When you click the “ Create Chart From Selection ” button, you have to map responses with numbers manually. The Likert scale has this arrangement:
• Extremely Dissatisfied = 1
• Dissatisfied = 2
• Neutral = 3
• Satisfied = 4
• Extremely Satisfied = 5
• Once all is set, click the “ Create Chart ” button.

• ChartExpo will generate the visualization below for you.

• If you want to have the chart’s title, click Edit Chart , as shown in the above image.
• Click the pencil icon next to Chart Header to change the title.
• It will open the properties dialog. Under the Text section, you can add a heading in Line 1 and enable Show .
• Give the appropriate title of your chart and click the Apply button.

• Let’s say you want to add text responses instead of numbers against every emoji.
• Click the pencil icon next to the respective emoji. Expand the “ Label ” properties and write the required text. Then click the “ Apply All ” button.
• Click the “ Save Changes ” button to persist the changes.

• Your final chart will appear as below.

• 63% of customers agree with the product usage, while 37% do not agree.
• Regarding the price, 48% agree with its value, 32% do not agree, and 21% remain neutral.
• Regarding product quality, 58% agree with it, but 22% do not agree, and 21% gave a neutral response.
• 57% of customers gave positive feedback.
• 30% gave negative feedback.
• 14% remained neutral.

What are the Common Challenges in Survey Planning and How to Overcome Them?

Survey planning involves carefully considering various factors to ensure success and reliability. Here are some common challenges in survey planning and strategies to overcome them:

Targeting the Right Audience

Challenge:  Reaching the intended participants can be challenging, leading to a biased or unrepresentative sample.

Solution:  Develop a sampling strategy that targets the appropriate population. Use random sampling techniques or stratified sampling to ensure representation across different groups.

Designing Unbiased Survey Questions

Challenge:  Biased or leading questions can influence respondents’ answers and compromise the validity of the survey.

Solution: Craft neutral and clear questions using unbiased language. Also, pre-test the survey with a small group to identify and eliminate potential biases or misunderstandings.

Maximizing Response Rate

Challenge:  Low response rates can affect the sample’s representativeness and introduce non-response bias.

Solution:  Keep the survey concise, clearly communicate the purpose, and offer incentives if appropriate. Also, use multiple modes of distribution (e.g., email, online platforms), and send reminders to increase response rates.

Ensuring Survey Reliability and Validity

Challenge:  Surveys need to measure what they intend to measure consistently and accurately.

Solution:  Use established measurement scales and validated questions whenever possible. Conduct pilot testing to identify potential issues and refine the survey instrument for reliability and validity.

Minimizing Survey Fatigue

Challenge:  Long or repetitive surveys can lead to respondent fatigue, resulting in incomplete or rushed responses.

Solution:  Keep the survey concise, prioritize essential questions, and use skip logic to tailor the survey to individual respondents. Consider dividing the survey into multiple shorter sections if necessary.

Handling Missing Data

Challenge: Incomplete responses or missing data can affect the overall analysis and interpretation of survey results .

Solution:  Implement mechanisms to minimize missing data, such as mandatory response fields or reminder prompts. Use appropriate techniques for handling missing data during data analysis , such as imputation or sensitivity analyses.

How do you conduct a survey plan?

To conduct a survey plan:

• Start by defining clear objectives and target audience.
• Develop a sampling strategy, design unbiased questions, and plan for data collection methods.
• Consider factors like response rates, privacy protection, data analysis, and reporting.

What is the first step in planning a survey?

The first step in planning a survey is clearly defining the objectives and research questions. This provides a clear focus and direction for the survey design. It also helps determine the necessary sample size and data collection methods.

What makes a survey successful?

A survey is successful when it effectively addresses its objectives and collects reliable and valid data. Also, when it has a high response rate, represents the target population well, and provides actionable insights.

Successful survey planning requires careful consideration of several key factors. By following this roadmap for survey planning, you can increase the likelihood of obtaining valuable insights. Ultimately, achieve your objectives.

The first step is to define the objectives and research questions clearly. This sets the foundation for the entire survey process. It also ensures that the survey remains focused and purposeful.

Identifying the target audience and implementing appropriate sampling techniques is crucial for obtaining representative and reliable data.

Next, design unbiased survey questions and ensure the reliability and validity of the survey instrument. This helps maintain the quality of the data collected.

Additionally, minimize survey fatigue, handle missing data, and protect respondent privacy. These steps contribute to the ethical and trustworthy nature of the survey.

Once data collection is complete, careful data analysis and interpretation are essential for drawing meaningful insights. That’s where visualizations come in.

ChartExpo empowers you to create compelling and insightful visualizations of your data. It revolutionizes data presentation and makes your data more digestible than ever before.

How much did you enjoy this article?

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5 Approaching Survey Research

What is survey research.

Survey research is a quantitative and qualitative method with two important characteristics. First, the variables of interest are measured using self-reports (using questionnaires or interviews). In essence, survey researchers ask their participants (who are often called respondents in survey research) to report directly on their own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Second, considerable attention is paid to the issue of sampling. In particular, survey researchers have a strong preference for large random samples because they provide the most accurate estimates of what is true in the population. Beyond these two characteristics, almost anything goes in survey research. Surveys can be long or short. They can be conducted in person, by telephone, through the mail, or over the Internet. They can be about voting intentions, consumer preferences, social attitudes, health, or anything else that it is possible to ask people about and receive meaningful answers. Although survey data are often analyzed using statistics, there are many questions that lend themselves to more qualitative analysis.

Most survey research is non-experimental. It is used to describe single variables (e.g., the percentage of voters who prefer one presidential candidate or another, the prevalence of schizophrenia in the general population, etc.) and also to assess statistical relationships between variables (e.g., the relationship between income and health). But surveys can also be used within experimental research; as long as there is manipulation of an independent variable (e.g. anger vs. fear) to assess an effect on a dependent variable (e.g. risk judgments).

Chapter 5: Learning Objectives

If your research question(s) center on the experience or perception of a particular phenomenon, process, or practice, utilizing a survey method may help glean useful data. After reading this chapter, you will

• Identify the purpose of survey research
• Describe the cognitive processes involved in responding to questions
• Discuss the importance of context in drafting survey items
• Contrast the utility of open and closed ended questions
• Describe the BRUSO method of drafting survey questions
• Describe the format for survey questionnaires

The heart of any survey research project is the survey itself. Although it is easy to think of interesting questions to ask people, constructing a good survey is not easy at all. The problem is that the answers people give can be influenced in unintended ways by the wording of the items, the order of the items, the response options provided, and many other factors. At best, these influences add noise to the data. At worst, they result in systematic biases and misleading results. In this section, therefore, we consider some principles for constructing surveys to minimize these unintended effects and thereby maximize the reliability and validity of respondents’ answers.

Cognitive Processes of Responses

To best understand how to write a ‘good’ survey question, it is important to frame the act of responding to a survey question as a cognitive process. That is, there are are involuntary mechanisms that take place when someone is asked a question. Sudman, Bradburn, & Schwarz (1996, as cited in Jhangiani et. al, 2012) illustrate this cognitive process here.

Framing the formulation of survey questions in this way is extremely helpful to ensure that the questions posed on your survey glean accurate information.

Example of a Poorly Worded Survey Question

How many alcoholic drinks do you consume in a typical day?

• A lot more of average
• Somewhat more than average
• Average number
• Somewhat fewer than average
• A lot fewer than average

Although this item at first seems straightforward, it poses several difficulties for respondents. First, they must interpret the question. For example, they must decide whether “alcoholic drinks” include beer and wine (as opposed to just hard liquor) and whether a “typical day” is a typical weekday, typical weekend day, or both. Even though Chang and Krosnick (2003, as cited in Jhangiani et al. 2012) found that asking about “typical” behavior has been shown to be more valid than asking about “past” behavior, their study compared “typical week” to “past week” and may be different when considering typical weekdays or weekend days). Once respondents have interpreted the question, they must retrieve relevant information from memory to answer it. But what information should they retrieve, and how should they go about retrieving it? They might think vaguely about some recent occasions on which they drank alcohol, they might carefully try to recall and count the number of alcoholic drinks they consumed last week, or they might retrieve some existing beliefs that they have about themselves (e.g., “I am not much of a drinker”). Then they must use this information to arrive at a tentative judgment about how many alcoholic drinks they consume in a typical day. For example, this mental calculation might mean dividing the number of alcoholic drinks they consumed last week by seven to come up with an average number per day. Then they must format this tentative answer in terms of the response options actually provided. In this case, the options pose additional problems of interpretation. For example, what does “average” mean, and what would count as “somewhat more” than average? Finally, they must decide whether they want to report the response they have come up with or whether they want to edit it in some way. For example, if they believe that they drink a lot more than average, they might not want to report that for fear of looking bad in the eyes of the researcher, so instead, they may opt to select the “somewhat more than average” response option.

From this perspective, what at first appears to be a simple matter of asking people how much they drink (and receiving a straightforward answer from them) turns out to be much more complex.

Context Effects on Survey Responses

Again, this complexity can lead to unintended influences on respondents’ answers. These are often referred to as context effects because they are not related to the content of the item but to the context in which the item appears (Schwarz & Strack, 1990, as cited in Jhangiani et al. 2012). For example, there is an item-order effect when the order in which the items are presented affects people’s responses. One item can change how participants interpret a later item or change the information that they retrieve to respond to later items. For example, researcher Fritz Strack and his colleagues asked college students about both their general life satisfaction and their dating frequency (Strack, Martin, & Schwarz, 1988, as cited in Jhangiani et al. 2012) . When the life satisfaction item came first, the correlation between the two was only −.12, suggesting that the two variables are only weakly related. But when the dating frequency item came first, the correlation between the two was +.66, suggesting that those who date more have a strong tendency to be more satisfied with their lives. Reporting the dating frequency first made that information more accessible in memory so that they were more likely to base their life satisfaction rating on it.

The response options provided can also have unintended effects on people’s responses (Schwarz, 1999, as cited in Jhangiani et al. 2012) . For example, when people are asked how often they are “really irritated” and given response options ranging from “less than once a year” to “more than once a month,” they tend to think of major irritations and report being irritated infrequently. But when they are given response options ranging from “less than once a day” to “several times a month,” they tend to think of minor irritations and report being irritated frequently. People also tend to assume that middle response options represent what is normal or typical. So if they think of themselves as normal or typical, they tend to choose middle response options. For example, people are likely to report watching more television when the response options are centered on a middle option of 4 hours than when centered on a middle option of 2 hours. To mitigate against order effects, rotate questions and response items when there is no natural order. Counterbalancing or randomizing the order of presentation of the questions in online surveys are good practices for survey questions and can reduce response order effects that show that among undecided voters, the first candidate listed in a ballot receives a 2.5% boost simply by virtue of being listed first!

Writing Survey Items

Types of Items

Questionnaire items can be either open-ended or closed-ended. Open-ended  items simply ask a question and allow participants to answer in whatever way they choose. The following are examples of open-ended questionnaire items.

• “What is the most important thing to teach children to prepare them for life?”
• “Please describe a time when you were discriminated against because of your age.”
• “Is there anything else you would like to tell us about?”

Open-ended items are useful when researchers do not know how participants might respond or when they want to avoid influencing their responses. Open-ended items are more qualitative in nature, so they tend to be used when researchers have more vaguely defined research questions—often in the early stages of a research project. Open-ended items are relatively easy to write because there are no response options to worry about. However, they take more time and effort on the part of participants, and they are more difficult for the researcher to analyze because the answers must be transcribed, coded, and submitted to some form of qualitative analysis, such as content analysis. Another disadvantage is that respondents are more likely to skip open-ended items because they take longer to answer. It is best to use open-ended questions when the answer is unsure or for quantities which can easily be converted to categories later in the analysis.

Closed-ended items ask a question and provide a set of response options for participants to choose from.

Examples of  Closed-Ended Questions

How old are you?

On a scale of 0 (no pain at all) to 10 (the worst pain ever experienced), how much pain are you in right now?

Closed-ended items are used when researchers have a good idea of the different responses that participants might make. They are more quantitative in nature, so they are also used when researchers are interested in a well-defined variable or construct such as participants’ level of agreement with some statement, perceptions of risk, or frequency of a particular behavior. Closed-ended items are more difficult to write because they must include an appropriate set of response options. However, they are relatively quick and easy for participants to complete. They are also much easier for researchers to analyze because the responses can be easily converted to numbers and entered into a spreadsheet. For these reasons, closed- ended items are much more common.

All closed-ended items include a set of response options from which a participant must choose. For categorical variables like sex, race, or political party preference, the categories are usually listed and participants choose the one (or ones) to which they belong. For quantitative variables, a rating scale is typically provided. A rating scale is an ordered set of responses that participants must choose from.

The number of response options on a typical rating scale ranges from three to 11—although five and seven are probably most common. Five-point scales are best for unipolar scales where only one construct is tested, such as frequency (Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Always). Seven- point scales are best for bipolar scales where there is a dichotomous spectrum, such as liking (Like very much, Like somewhat, Like slightly, Neither like nor dislike, Dislike slightly, Dislike somewhat, Dislike very much). For bipolar questions, it is useful to offer an earlier question that branches them into an area of the scale; if asking about liking ice cream, first ask “Do you generally like or dislike ice cream?” Once the respondent chooses like or dislike, refine it by offering them relevant choices from the seven-point scale. Branching improves both reliability and validity (Krosnick & Berent, 1993, as cited in Jhangiani et al. 2012 ) . Although you often see scales with numerical labels, it is best to only present verbal labels to the respondents but convert them to numerical values in the analyses. Avoid partial labels or length or overly specific labels. In some cases, the verbal labels can be supplemented with (or even replaced by) meaningful graphics.

Writing Effective Items

We can now consider some principles of writing questionnaire items that minimize unintended context effects and maximize the reliability and validity of participants’ responses. A rough guideline for writing 9 questionnaire items is provided by the BRUSO model (Peterson, 2000, as cited in Jhangiani et al. 2012 ) . An acronym, BRUSO stands for “brief,” “relevant,” “unambiguous,” “specific,” and “objective.” Effective questionnaire items are brief and to the point. They avoid long, overly technical, or unnecessary words. This brevity makes them easier for respondents to understand and faster for them to complete. Effective questionnaire items are also relevant to the research question. If a respondent’s sexual orientation, marital status, or income is not relevant, then items on them should probably not be included. Again, this makes the questionnaire faster to complete, but it also avoids annoying respondents with what they will rightly perceive as irrelevant or even “nosy” questions. Effective questionnaire items are also unambiguous; they can be interpreted in only one way. Part of the problem with the alcohol item presented earlier in this section is that different respondents might have different ideas about what constitutes “an alcoholic drink” or “a typical day.” Effective questionnaire items are also specific so that it is clear to respondents what their response should be about and clear to researchers what it is about. A common problem here is closed- ended items that are “double barreled .” They ask about two conceptually separate issues but allow only one response.

Example of a “Double Barreled” question

Please rate the extent to which you have been feeling anxious and depressed

Note: The issue in the question itself is that anxiety and depression are two separate items and should likely be separated

Finally, effective questionnaire items are objective in the sense that they do not reveal the researcher’s own opinions or lead participants to answer in a particular way. The best way to know how people interpret the wording of the question is to conduct a pilot test and ask a few people to explain how they interpreted the question. 

For closed-ended items, it is also important to create an appropriate response scale. For categorical variables, the categories presented should generally be mutually exclusive and exhaustive. Mutually exclusive categories do not overlap. For a religion item, for example, the categories of Christian and Catholic are not mutually exclusive but Protestant and Catholic are mutually exclusive. Exhaustive categories cover all possible responses. Although Protestant and Catholic are mutually exclusive, they are not exhaustive because there are many other religious categories that a respondent might select: Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and so on. In many cases, it is not feasible to include every possible category, in which case an ‘Other’ category, with a space for the respondent to fill in a more specific response, is a good solution. If respondents could belong to more than one category (e.g., race), they should be instructed to choose all categories that apply.

For rating scales, five or seven response options generally allow about as much precision as respondents are capable of. However, numerical scales with more options can sometimes be appropriate. For dimensions such as attractiveness, pain, and likelihood, a 0-to-10 scale will be familiar to many respondents and easy for them to use. Regardless of the number of response options, the most extreme ones should generally be “balanced” around a neutral or modal midpoint.

Example of an unbalanced versus balanced rating scale

Unbalanced rating scale measuring perceived likelihood

Unlikely | Somewhat Likely | Likely | Very Likely | Extremely Likely

Balanced rating scale measuring perceived likelihood

Extremely Unlikely | Somewhat Unlikely | As Likely as Not | Somewhat Likely |Extremely Likely

Note, however, that a middle or neutral response option does not have to be included. Researchers sometimes choose to leave it out because they want to encourage respondents to think more deeply about their response and not simply choose the middle option by default. However, including middle alternatives on bipolar dimensions can be used to allow people to choose an option that is neither.

Formatting the Survey

Writing effective items is only one part of constructing a survey. For one thing, every survey should have a written or spoken introduction that serves two basic functions (Peterson, 2000, as cited by Jhangiani et al. 2012 ). One is to encourage respondents to participate in the survey. In many types of research, such encouragement is not necessary either because participants do not know they are in a study (as in naturalistic observation) or because they are part of a subject pool and have already shown their willingness to participate by signing up and showing up for the study. Survey research usually catches respondents by surprise when they answer their phone, go to their mailbox, or check their e-mail—and the researcher must make a good case for why they should agree to participate. This means that the researcher has only a moment to capture the attention of the respondent and must make it as easy as possible for the respondent  to participate . Thus the introduction should briefly explain the purpose of the survey and its importance, provide information about the sponsor of the survey (university-based surveys tend to generate higher response rates), acknowledge the importance of the respondent’s participation, and describe any incentives for participating.

The second function of the introduction is to establish informed consent. Remember that this involves describing to respondents everything that might affect their decision to participate. This includes the topics covered by the survey, the amount of time it is likely to take, the respondent’s option to withdraw at any time, confidentiality issues, and so on. Written consent forms are not always used in survey research (when the research is of minimal risk and completion of the survey instrument is often accepted by the IRB as evidence of consent to participate), so it is important that this part of the introduction be well documented and presented clearly and in its entirety to every respondent.

The introduction should be followed by the substantive questionnaire items. But first, it is important to present clear instructions for completing the questionnaire, including examples of how to use any unusual response scales. Remember that the introduction is the point at which respondents are usually most interested and least fatigued, so it is good practice to start with the most important items for purposes of the research and proceed to less important items. Items should also be grouped by topic or by type. For example, items using the same rating scale (e.g., a 5-point agreement scale) should be grouped together if possible to make things faster and easier for respondents. Demographic items are often presented last because they are least interesting to participants but also easy to answer in the event respondents have become tired or bored. Of course, any survey should end with an expression of appreciation to the respondent.

Coding your survey responses

Once you’ve closed your survey, you’ll need to identify how to quantify the data you’ve collected. Much of this can be done in ways similar to methods described in the previous two chapters. Although there are several ways by which to do this, here are some general tips:

• Transfer data : Transfer your data to a program which will allow you to organize and ‘clean’ the data. If you’ve used an online tool to gather data, you should be able to download the survey results into a format appropriate for working the data. If you’ve collected responses by hand, you’ll need to input the data manually.
• Save: ALWAYS save a copy of your original data. Save changes you make to the data under a different name or version in case you need to refer back to the original data.
• De-identify: This step will depend on the overall approach that you’ve taken to answer your research question and may not be appropriate for your project.
• Name the variables: Again, there is no ‘right’ way to do this; however, as you move forward, you will want to be sure you can easily identify what data you are extracting. Many times, when you transfer your data the program will automatically associate data collected with the question asked. It is a good idea to name the variable something associated with the data, rather than the question
• Code the attributes : Each variable will likely have several different attributes, or      layers. You’ll need to come up with a coding method to distinguish the different responses. As discussed in previous chapters, each attribute should have a numeric code associated so that you can quantify the data and use descriptive and/or inferential statistical methods to either describe or explore relationships within the dataset.

This is relatively simple to accomplish with closed-ended questions. Because                   you’ve ‘forced’ the respondent to pick a concrete answer, you can create a code               that is associated with each answer. In the picture above, respondents were                     asked to identify their region and given a list of geographical regions and in                     structed to pick one. The researcher then created a code for the regions. In this               case, 1= West; 2= Midwest; 3= Northeast; 4= Southeast; and 5= Southwest. If you’re           working to quantify data that is somewhat qualitative in nature (i.e. open ended             questions) the process is a little more complicated. You’ll need to either create                 themes or categories, classify types or similar responses, and then assign codes to         those themes or categories.

6. Create a codebook : This.is.essential. Once you begin to code the data, you will                 have somewhat disconnected yourself from the data by translating the data from         a language that we understand to a language which a computer understands. Af           ter you run your statistical methods, you’ll translate it back to the native language         and share findings. To stay organized and accurate, it is important that you keep a         record of how the data has been translated.

7.  Analyze: Once you have the data inputted, cleaned, and coded, you should be                ready  to analyze your data using either descriptive or inferential methods, depend.      ing on your approach and overarching goal.

Key Takeaways

• Surveys are a great method to identify information about perceptions and experiences
• Question items must be carefully crafted to elicit an appropriate response
• Surveys are often a mixed-methods approach to research
• Both descriptive and inferential statistical approaches can be applied to the data gleaned through survey responses
• Surveys utilize both open and closed ended questions; identifying which types of questions will yield specific data will be helpful as you plan your approach to analysis
• Most surveys will need to include a method of informed consent, and an introduction. The introduction should clearly delineate the purpose of the survey and how the results will be utilized
• Pilot tests of your survey can save you a lot of time and heartache. Pilot testing helps to catch issues in the development of item, accessibility, and type of information derived prior to initiating the survey on a larger scale
• Survey data can be analyzed much like other types of data; following a systematic approach to coding will help ensure you get the answers you’re looking for
• This section is attributed to Research Methods in Psychology by Rajiv S. Jhangiani, I-Chant A. Chiang, Carrie Cuttler, & Dana C. Leighton is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. ↵
• The majority of content in these sections can be attributed to Research Methods in Psychology by Rajiv S. Jhangiani, I-Chant A. Chiang, Carrie Cuttler, & Dana C. Leighton is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. ↵

A mixed methods approach using self-reports of respondents who are sampled using stringent methods

A type of survey question that allows the respondent to insert their own response; typically qualitative in nature

A type of survey question which forces a respondent to select a response; no subjectivity.

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Part of Oxfam’s Research Guidelines series, this guideline gives an overview of how to plan survey research, one of the most widely used tools in research for development. Properly designed survey research is vital to development work because it allows researchers to gather accurate quantitative data on a variety of topics, helping to give development projects and decisions a stronger evidence base. The guideline covers the most important steps in the survey process, including, sampling, questionnaire design, data collection and data analysis. This guideline was written in 2015 by Simone Lombardini and edited by Martin Walsh. It was updated in 2019 by Martin Walsh.

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• Lombardini, Simone

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• Walsh, Martin

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• Chapter 5. Planning and conducting a survey

Early planning

Choice of examination methods, staff and training, sampling methods, recruiting subjects, response rates.

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A quick guide to survey research

1 University of Cambridge,, UK

2 Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust,, UK

Questionnaires are a very useful survey tool that allow large populations to be assessed with relative ease. Despite a widespread perception that surveys are easy to conduct, in order to yield meaningful results, a survey needs extensive planning, time and effort. In this article, we aim to cover the main aspects of designing, implementing and analysing a survey as well as focusing on techniques that would improve response rates.

Medical research questionnaires or surveys are vital tools used to gather information on individual perspectives in a large cohort. Within the medical realm, there are three main types of survey: epidemiological surveys, surveys on attitudes to a health service or intervention and questionnaires assessing knowledge on a particular issue or topic. 1

Despite a widespread perception that surveys are easy to conduct, in order to yield meaningful results, a survey needs extensive planning, time and effort. In this article, we aim to cover the main aspects of designing, implementing and analysing a survey as well as focusing on techniques that would improve response rates.

Clear research goal

The first and most important step in designing a survey is to have a clear idea of what you are looking for. It will always be tempting to take a blanket approach and ask as many questions as possible in the hope of getting as much information as possible. This type of approach does not work as asking too many irrelevant or incoherent questions reduces the response rate 2 and therefore reduces the power of the study. This is especially important when surveying physicians as they often have a lower response rate than the rest of the population. 3 Instead, you must carefully consider the important data you will be using and work on a ‘need to know’ rather than a ‘would be nice to know’ model. 4

After considering the question you are trying to answer, deciding whom you are going to ask is the next step. With small populations, attempting to survey them all is manageable but as your population gets bigger, a sample must be taken. The size of this sample is more important than you might expect. After lost questionnaires, non-responders and improper answers are taken into account, this sample must still be big enough to be representative of the entire population. If it is not big enough, the power of your statistics will drop and you may not get any meaningful answers at all. It is for this reason that getting a statistician involved in your study early on is absolutely crucial. Data should not be collected until you know what you are going to do with them.

Directed questions

After settling on your research goal and beginning to design a questionnaire, the main considerations are the method of data collection, the survey instrument and the type of question you are going to ask. Methods of data collection include personal interviews, telephone, postal or electronic ( Table 1 ).

Advantages and disadvantages of survey methods

Collected data are only useful if they convey information accurately and consistently about the topic in which you are interested. This is where a validated survey instrument comes in to the questionnaire design. Validated instruments are those that have been extensively tested and are correctly calibrated to their target. They can therefore be assumed to be accurate. 1 It may be possible to modify a previously validated instrument but you should seek specialist advice as this is likely to reduce its power. Examples of validated models are the Beck Hopelessness Scale 5 or the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination. 6

The next step is choosing the type of question you are going to ask. The questionnaire should be designed to answer the question you want answered. Each question should be clear, concise and without bias. Normalising statements should be included and the language level targeted towards those at the lowest educational level in your cohort. 1 You should avoid open, double barrelled questions and those questions that include negative items and assign causality. 1 The questions you use may elicit either an open (free text answer) or closed response. Open responses are more flexible but require more time and effort to analyse, whereas closed responses require more initial input in order to exhaust all possible options but are easier to analyse and present.

Questionnaire

Two more aspects come into questionnaire design: aesthetics and question order. While this is not relevant to telephone or personal questionnaires, in self-administered surveys the aesthetics of the questionnaire are crucial. Having spent a large amount of time fine-tuning your questions, presenting them in such a way as to maximise response rates is pivotal to obtaining good results. Visual elements to think of include smooth, simple and symmetrical shapes, soft colours and repetition of visual elements. 7

Once you have attracted your subject’s attention and willingness with a well designed and attractive survey, the order in which you put your questions is critical. To do this you should focus on what you need to know; start by placing easier, important questions at the beginning, group common themes in the middle and keep questions on demographics to near the end. The questions should be arrayed in a logical order, questions on the same topic close together and with sensible sections if long enough to warrant them. Introductory and summary questions to mark the start and end of the survey are also helpful.

Pilot study

Once a completed survey has been compiled, it needs to be tested. The ideal next step should highlight spelling errors, ambiguous questions and anything else that impairs completion of the questionnaire. 8 A pilot study, in which you apply your work to a small sample of your target population in a controlled setting, may highlight areas in which work still needs to be done. Where possible, being present while the pilot is going on will allow a focus group-type atmosphere in which you can discuss aspects of the survey with those who are going to be filling it in. This step may seem non-essential but detecting previously unconsidered difficulties needs to happen as early as possible and it is important to use your participants’ time wisely as they are unlikely to give it again.

Distribution and collection

While it should be considered quite early on, we will now discuss routes of survey administration and ways to maximise results. Questionnaires can be self-administered electronically or by post, or administered by a researcher by telephone or in person. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are summarised in Table 1 . Telephone and personal surveys are very time and resource consuming whereas postal and electronic surveys suffer from low response rates and response bias. Your route should be chosen with care.

Methods for maximising response rates for self-administered surveys are listed in Table 2 , taken from a Cochrane review.2 The differences between methods of maximising responses to postal or e-surveys are considerable but common elements include keeping the questionnaire short and logical as well as including incentives.

Methods for improving response rates in postal and electronic questionnaires 2

• – Involve a statistician early on.
• – Run a pilot study to uncover problems.
• – Consider using a validated instrument.
• – Only ask what you ‘need to know’.
• – Consider guidelines on improving response rates.

The collected data will come in a number of forms depending on the method of collection. Data from telephone or personal interviews can be directly entered into a computer database whereas postal data can be entered at a later stage. Electronic questionnaires can allow responses to go directly into a computer database. Problems arise from errors in data entry and when questionnaires are returned with missing data fields. As mentioned earlier, it is essential to have a statistician involved from the beginning for help with data analysis. He or she will have helped to determine the sample size required to ensure your study has enough power. The statistician can also suggest tests of significance appropriate to your survey, such as Student’s t-test or the chi-square test.

Conclusions

Survey research is a unique way of gathering information from a large cohort. Advantages of surveys include having a large population and therefore a greater statistical power, the ability to gather large amounts of information and having the availability of validated models. However, surveys are costly, there is sometimes discrepancy in recall accuracy and the validity of a survey depends on the response rate. Proper design is vital to enable analysis of results and pilot studies are critical to this process.

Institutional Research, Analysis & Decision Support

Things to keep in mind when planning a survey.

IRB REVIEW:   To assure the protection of human subjects and to comply with federal regulations and university policy, UMBC requires that all research projects involving human subjects be reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) prior to research implementation.  More information regarding human subjects research can be found on the IRB website .  To determine if your survey activity is considered research that requires approval by IRB, click here .

An IRB will assess the research to ensure ethical treatment of participants, anonymity and/or confidentiality and plans to protect participant privacy. Below are general links useful in understanding potential issues related to survey research ethics:

• American Association for Public Opinion Research –   IRB Resources for Survey Research
• Hastings Center: Confidentiality and Electronic Surveys: How IRBs Address Ethical and Technical Issues

AVOID DUPLICATION OF EFFORT:   Before implementing a survey, you should determine if a similar survey has been conducted on campus, or if another survey has captured similar information to that which you are seeking.  Click here for a listing and description of surveys routinely conducted at UMBC.

ACCESS TO DATA:   If you need access to student, faculty or staff contact information, or assistance in generating your survey sample, you can submit a help ticket using UMBC’s RT ticket system to request help or obtain the information.

• For access to student information, create a new RT ticket:  Click here  to download the request form.  Once completed, submit your request and upload the form to the RT system here .
• For access to faculty and staff data, create a new ticket in “Human Resources”.

For more information about RT, including FAQs and articles, click here .

NOTE:  UMBC complies with the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). In general, FERPA serves to protect the privacy of student education records. Specifically, FERPA limits the release of any information from a student’s education record without prior written consent from the student. FERPA allows for the disclosure of those records, without consent, to school officials with legitimate educational interests. For more information on FERPA visit http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html .  For more information on the privacy and release of education records found on the UMBC Registrar’s site, click here .

IMPROVING SURVEY RESPONSE RATES: Surveys are a powerful, efficient, and cost-effective way to gather information, identify and diagnose problems, and reveal new opportunities. However, one of the biggest challenges in conducting surveys is ensuring that you get enough people to take your survey to obtain meaningful results.  Below is some general advice for increasing the response rate for your survey.

• Given the amount of survey activity at UMBC, it is likely that students will receive multiple requests to complete surveys in any given year. There are certain times of the year, including the opening weeks of semesters, study days, and exam periods, when it is not effective to survey students.  New students should not be surveyed as they transition into the university.
•  If possible, guarantee the anonymity of survey participants.
• Keep your survey short and concise, with a limited number of skip patterns.
• Provide some type of incentive for students to participate.
• Let survey participants know how and why their participation will make a contribution.
• Make survey results and reports available to survey participants.

For more advice on how to increase response rates for online surveys, click here .

Additional resources for creating and conducting surveys are provided in the “Useful Links” section.

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6 steps in planning a survey that will help you avoid the most common mistakes

1. what is the purpose of the survey- the basic to planning a survey.

Start with the WHY when planning your survey, because everything with a good plan works out the best. You know already that you need to conduct a survey- that is a great starting point. There is a reason and there is a purpose. Is it to understand your employees better? Or learn what your customers think about the support you provide? Or are you planning to launch your business on a new market and want to know more about purchasing behaviour and demand there?

Write down the purpose and have it in front of you throughout the work on the survey.

• Create surveys based on our templates
• Send surveys via email, links, API or individual logins
• Analyse responses with filters & AI

2. Decide on the target group

Once you have decided on the purpose, the target group is usually fairly obvious, but it may need to be specified. Do you want to know more about how your product is used? The target group is presumably your customers in that case, but perhaps you want to know the different ways in which customers of different ages and genders and in different locations use it? If you specify the segments that are of interest, it becomes easier to work with background data later.

3. How do you reach your target group?

You have specified the purpose, the target group, and the segments, but how do you reach them best? The most common way of distributing a survey is via a mailshot, but there are also a number of other ways of doing it. For example:

• via a link on the intranet, social media or advertisements
• printed QR code or short link on flyers, business cards or menus
• via iPads that you take to your event or are located in the lobby
• via text message

4. Break down the purpose and limit the scope

When you send out a survey, it may be tempting to ask questions that cover as many areas as possible. However, remember that the larger the survey, the greater the risk of a lower response rate. Consequently, it is frequently better to try and limit the questions as much as possible. Limiting the scope of the survey is usually easier if you break the purpose down into a number of blocks of questions, as in the example below:

The purpose is to find out more about what our customers think.

Purchase experience

• Accessibility of stores, etc.
• Accessibility and knowledge of webshop, etc.

Customer contact

• Support: What was the experience of the support department’s knowledge/service/time before help, etc
• Service: What was the experience of service at the time of purchase? Was the customer given enough help, etc.?

5. Which questions should the survey contain?

Start with the result when you write the survey questions. Don’t think: what should I ask? Think instead: what type of result would be valuable to us? Think about what type of result each question you write may achieve and how different types of results can be managed. For example:

• a response that confirms something (for example, previous criticism of your website)
• a response that shows something unexpected
• a response that can give you practical help to improve your business
• a response that can help you in your marketing

6. Write a draft and trim it

Write down all the questions you can think of based on the breakdown of the purpose, bearing in mind what types of results are valuable. Divide the questions up based on the blocks you arrived at and remove all questions that will not supply any specific value to the result. Do all responses feel equally important? Make a list of priorities and delete them from the bottom. Internal surveys can be longer (even though the trend is towards shorter ones) while external surveys benefit from being as short as possible.

If you are now keen to get started on planning your first survey and want to get more hands-on advice on finding the right wording, then don´t miss out to read this article on how to polish the wording of your survey questions .

How to utilise the advantages of qualitative research

When we think of survey, we often think of a single question to rate something…

How to speed up the pretest of your questionnaire: Practical tips for everyday survey work

The pretest of a questionnaire can often be done with simple means. We explain how this works.

5 essential tips for avoiding untruths and ensuring reliable survey data

Discover essential strategies for dealing with untruths in surveys, and unlock reliable data insights with Netigate's expertise in questionnaire design and untruth recognition.

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Planning a survey.

One of the office's roles is to coordinate the University's efforts to improve and better understand itself through student surveys. As the ease of conducting online surveys grows, and their number increases, students become less willing to respond to any single one, adversely impacting response rates and validity of the data obtained. Without good coordination, the University is at risk of undermining its ability to improve, to better understand itself, and even to be in compliance with the terms of corporate and foundation grants which mandate this kind of student data. 

If you are planning to conduct a survey of students, please reach out to our office to discuss how best to meet your need for student self-report data.

We are available to help by: 

• With adequate notice and after review by a standing group of College staff named the Survey Liaison Group, integrating your survey items within a regularly scheduled, centralized survey (most centralized surveys obtain response rates of over 90%).
• Identifying a random sample of your chosen population, so you can survey fewer students, but still obtain methodologically valid and generalizable results.
• Suggesting times of year to conduct your survey, so as to maximize response rates and minimize conflict with other surveys.  
• Integrating your survey data with institutional student data (where appropriate and as permitted by FERPA and other regulatory guidance). 
• Helping you refine, develop, and streamline a survey instrument.

Contact Esul Park ( [email protected] ) to begin the conversation. 

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2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey: Living and working with purpose in a transforming world

The 13th edition of Deloitte’s Gen Z and Millennial Survey connected with nearly 23,000 respondents across 44 countries to track their experiences and expectations at work and in the world more broadly.

Gen Zs and millennials are cautiously optimistic about the economy and their personal finances, but uncertainty remains

Just under a third of Gen Zs and millennials believe the economic situation in their countries will improve over the next year, reflecting the most optimism respondents have shown about the economy since our 2020 study fielded just before the COVID-19 pandemic. This optimism is also reflected in Gen Zs’ and millennials’ outlook for their personal financial situations, although financial insecurity continues to plague these generations.

Three in 10 say they do not feel financially secure. And roughly six in 10 live paycheck to paycheck. The cost of living remains their top concern by a wide margin compared to their other leading concerns, which include climate change, unemployment, mental health, and crime/personal safety.

There is some uncertainty about the social and political outlook, with only about a quarter of respondents believing it will improve in their country over the next year.

Gen Zs and millennials think the following will improve in their countries in the year ahead

Nearly all gen zs and millennials want purpose-driven work, and they are not afraid to turn down work that doesn’t align with their values.

Having a sense of purpose is key to workplace satisfaction and well-being. And increasingly, these generations are willing to turn down assignments and employers based on their personal ethics or beliefs. Reasons for rejecting an employer or an assignment include factors such as having a negative environmental impact, or contributing to inequality through non inclusive practices, and more personal factors such as a lack of support for employees’ mental well-being and work/life balance.

Those who...

Climate action, environmental sustainability is everyone’s responsibility.

Environmental sustainability continues to be among Gen Zs’ and millennials’ top priorities. It is a personal concern that consistently weighs heavily on them, with roughly six in 10 Gen Zs and millennials saying they have felt worried or anxious about climate change in the last month.

The majority of them take action to minimize their impact on the environment. They feel governments should play a bigger role in pushing business to address climate change. And that business, in turn, could and should do more to enable consumers to make more sustainable purchasing decisions.

Protecting the environment is the societal challenge where respondents feel businesses have the most opportunity to drive change. Gen Zs and millennials are pushing business to act through their career decisions and consumer behaviors.

Percentage of Gen Zs and millennials who...

Genai at work, positive perceptions of genai increase with more hands-on experience, but so do workplace concerns.

Among both generations, frequent users of GenAI are more likely to believe the technology will have positive effects on their work and improve their work/life balance.

But, conversely, the more a respondent uses GenAI, the more likely they are to have some concerns as well, such as believing that GenAI will cause the elimination of jobs, make it harder for younger generations to enter the workforce, or that they’ll have to find job opportunities that are less vulnerable to automation.

In response to these types of concerns, both generations are thinking about how to adapt, with a focus on reskilling and GenAI training.

Respondents who say that GenAI in the workplace will...

Future of work, gen zs’ and millennials’ career and workplace expectations are evolving.

Many Gen Zs and millennials are choosing career paths based on environmental concerns, or which they believe will be less vulnerable to automation. And, once they do choose an employer, they push for change, particularly when it comes to workload, the services offered to clients, learning and development, DEI, wellness, social impact, and environmental efforts.

Work remains key to Gen Zs’ and, even more so to millennials’, sense of identity, with their jobs coming second only to friends and family. However, they are very focused on maintaining a positive work/life balance. And their strong preference for flexible work is driving greater demand for part-time jobs, job-sharing options, and models such as four-day work weeks for full-time employees.

Meanwhile, roughly a third of Gen Zs and millennials say they work for organizations who have recently implemented a return-to-office policy. These policies have yielded mixed results.

• Six in 10 Gen Zs (61%) and millennials (58%) believe they have the power to drive change within their organizations.
• Consistent with last year’s findings, work/life balance is the top consideration when Gen Zs and millennials are choosing an employer.
• Two-thirds of Gen Zs (64%) and millennials (66%) say they work for organizations who have recently implemented a return-to-office policy.

Mental health

As workplace factors contribute to stress levels, employers must stay focused on providing better workplace mental health.

Only about half of Gen Zs (51%) and millennials (56%) rate their mental health as good or extremely good. And while stress levels have improved slightly since last year, they remain high, with 40% of Gen Zs and 35% of millennials saying they feel stressed all or most of the time.

About a third of respondents say that their job and their work/life balance contribute a lot to their stress levels.

Financial concerns, and family welfare are major stressors, alongside job related factors such as long working hours and lack of recognition.

Many respondents believe that their employers are taking mental health seriously. But despite some positive changes, there is room for improvement when it comes to enabling people to feel comfortable speaking openly about mental health at work. Managers and senior leaders need to play an important role to remove stigma.

Percentage of respondents who say...

To learn more about the mental health findings, read the Mental Health Deep Dive .

Gen Zs and millennials have played a significant role in pushing the boundaries of what is expected from employers over the last decade, and they will continue to do so. Employers who listen and adjust their strategies will likely have a more satisfied, productive, and agile workforce who are better prepared to adapt to a transforming world.

Additional links

• Gen Z and Millennial Survey press release
• 2023 Gen Z and Millennial Survey
• Deloitte Insights article

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USGS deploys equipment to measure waves in Upper Mississippi River’s Pool 13

The research will inform conservation planning for aquatic plants and mussels

Clinton, Iowa —The U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with Iowa Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will place monitoring equipment this week at several locations in Pool 13 of the Upper Mississippi River between Bulger’s Hollow Recreation Area and Lock and Dam 13 in Clinton, Iowa. The equipment will be placed below the water surface to monitor waves and water clarity from late May through mid-September.

Orange buoys will mark locations where monitoring instruments have been placed. The equipment is sensitive, and the public is asked to avoid these locations so as not to disturb the research project. Hunting, fishing and recreational activities are not restricted near monitoring locations, but the public should not tamper with or disturb monitoring equipment and should be careful navigating around buoys. Public assistance to report unexpected events, damaged property or suspicious activity around the monitoring equipment is greatly appreciated. Local, state and federal officials have been informed about the placement of this equipment.

Scientists will use the data collected in Pool 13 to better understand how waves affect water clarity and the river’s ecosystem, including native freshwater mussels and aquatic plants like wild celery. The results can inform rehabilitation efforts in Pool 13 and elsewhere on the Mississippi River.

Please relay questions or concerns to Kristen Bouska, USGS Research Ecologist, at 608-781-6344 or [email protected] .

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Half of Americans feel unprepared to help in a life-threatening emergency

Experts stress that basic first aid skills and the confidence to use them when needed saves lives.

If someone collapsed after going into cardiac arrest, would you be prepared to help? For nearly half of Americans, the answer is no.

A new survey from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center finds many Americans are ill-prepared to help in emergency situations.

The national poll of 1,005 people found only 51% of Americans feel they would be able to perform hands-only CPR in an emergency. When it comes to serious bleeding, 49% said they could step in to help. And 56% of survey participants said they can stop choking.

"Before emergency responders arrive, it's up to us as the public to initiate care," said Nicholas Kman, MD, emergency medicine physician at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and clinical professor of emergency medicine at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. "For every minute that passes, the chance of survival drops, and if they do survive, there's less chance of a good neurologic outcome."

Hands-only CPR

According to the American Heart Association, most people who go into cardiac arrest outside of the hospital are at a home or in a public area. Sixty to 80% of them die before reaching the hospital. Bystander CPR can double or triple survival rates.

"We would love the public to learn how to do hands-only CPR and practice the skill of doing CPR every six weeks," Kman said. "Like with any skill, practice builds confidence. If we don't practice it, we lose that skill."

Stop serious bleeding

Accidents around the home with knives and saws, car crashes and other traumas can cause serious bleeding. STOP THE BLEED® training teaches people to how control bleeding until medical help arrives.

"Initiating hemorrhage control is something that you have to do very quickly," Kman said. "We know from different studies that a patient with major bleeding can die in two to five minutes depending on the location of the bleed."

Choking first aid

When food or an object is stuck in a person's throat, it can block their ability to breathe, talk or cough. A choking person isn't getting oxygen to their lungs, which can lead to brain damage. Performing abdominal thrusts or the Heimlich maneuver can force the item out of the body.

"Somebody who's choking will eventually run out of oxygen, collapse and have a cardiac arrest," Kman said.

Bystander preparation

Training in hands-only CPR, bleeding control and choking first aid is available in-person and online through many local organizations and employers. Certifications can be renewed every two years.

"We're responsible for each other," Kman said. "When you're trained in these lifesaving skills, you'll know how to recognize the signs that someone needs help and buy time until the responders can get there."

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Story Source:

Materials provided by Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center . Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Strange & offbeat.

Birmingham Water Works spends $69,000 for ‘image improvement plan’ survey

T he Birmingham Water Works has a full in-house public relations department, two outside PR consulting firms, two lobbyists, and years of failing marks on customer service surveys.

And board members Wednesday voted to spend $69,000 on another survey to better understand how the public feels about them and to create an “image improvement plan.”

The board voted to hire Southeast Research to conduct a survey of customers and public opinion.

The project includes 600 telephone interviews with customers and more than two dozen in-person interviews with public officials and community leaders.

“This is not another customer satisfaction survey,” said Rick Jackson, public relations manager for the water works. “Southeast Research’s team will give the board insight into the public’s perception of the system and what our team can do to improve service to our customers. Our intent is to demonstrate to the public that we are committed to transparency and that we also value the direct feedback of our customers.”

The water works in February spent $37,500 to join J.D. Power, a national surveying organization that routinely ranks the utility as one of the worst for customer satisfaction in the Southeast. The board at the time said it was spending the money to get access to additional information about customer responses to the survey.

Just a few weeks ago, the board again ranked last among 19 peer utilities in J.D. Power’s annual survey on customer satisfaction.

The utility scored 413 points out of 1,000 possible points.

Though Birmingham scored much higher in the 2023 survey, with 655 points, it has earned the lowest score among midsize systems in the Southeast in five of the past six years.

Board chairwoman Tereshia Huffman who presented the proposal, said the new study by Southeast Research is needed to gather more details on customer perception. She said the results will be presented internally, then to the full board.

“External assessments describing the community’s perceptions are vital to assisting the Board and management in moving forward,” Southeast Research president Jerry Ingram wrote in his proposal. “While surveys have been conducted with employees and customers, it is also important for the organization to understand their public image for a broader range of issues and use this information to develop a comprehensive communications plan.”

Just in the past few months, the water works was the subject of public scrutiny with complaints of odorous and discolored water in some Birmingham suburbs, a main break that led to a boil water notice in western Jefferson County , and customer notices of possible contamination as pipes were being replaced in Crestwood and North Birmingham neighborhoods.

The water works in January signed agreements worth $360,000 to hire two lobbyists that officials said would help better communicate its mission to customers and to lawmakers. The board then, without discussion, debate or dissent approved contracts with Fine Geddie & Associates and The Jones Group at $15,000 per month.

Some observers and ratepayers say they are puzzled by the need to spend additional money to gather more information about what public perception.

“You all have one job and that is to give us clean drinking and bathing water. Deliver on that,” said activist Frank Matthews.

Matthews lives in Forestdale in western Jefferson County, an area that went without running water for several days earlier this month because of a main break.

Bill Gerdes, a Hoover resident and a retired communication director at the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Business, expressed similar bewilderment.

“Surveys are surveys, and how many can you do?” he said.

Gerdes said public money might be better spent on improving customer service. Gerdes said he has seen issues firsthand that lead to negative views of the agency.

“I have a son-in-law who lives in Hoover and had a water line break six or eight months ago. He finally got the line repaired and water restored but there still is a large hole where the line from the house meets the main line,” Gerdes said. “Those lobbyists probably won’t be much help there, unless the water works can take some of that $360,000 the lobbyists will be paid to hire someone to fill that hole.”

Matthews said the board doesn’t need another survey to see why the public mistrusts the water works. He said all they need is a quick scan of history and recent issues.

“They spend dollars like it was water and if they didn’t spend dollars like water they could deal with these infrastructure problems that we are having,” he said. “How many times do we have to forgive them and say ‘it’s all right?’”

©2024 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit al.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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U.S. consumers willing to spend more to support small local businesses, survey finds

Adelaide Elliott, BridgeTower Media Newswires // May 24, 2024 //

Depositphotos.com image

• Americans are personally willing to spend an extra $150 a month on average to make sure their local shops survive.
• More than 65% of Americans visit their local main street at least a few times a month, and nearly 75% feel sad, worried, guilty or angry when their local shops shut down.
• Local shopping districts are so important to consumers that 85% say a candidate’s support of small businesses will influence who they decide to vote for this election year.
• Despite the impacts of inflation and the aftermath of the pandemic in recent years, nearly 80% of consumers report that their main street is stable or growing compared with 2019.

Shifting consumer priorities

Generational shopping trend.

• 70% of Gen Z and 69% of Millennials are willing to shop locally more often.
• 60% of Millennials and 59% of Gen Z are willing to encourage family and friends to support local businesses.
• Nearly 55% of both generations are willing to do their holiday shopping there.
• Both generations said their support of local businesses will influence their vote this election year, with 90% of Gen Z and 86% of Millennials stating a candidate’s plan on how to support small businesses as a priority when deciding how to vote.

Driving independent retail’s appeal

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More From Forbes

How much money do you really need to retire comfortably.

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Most people are confused about how much money they need to retire comfortably, and financial services firms often add to the confusion.

Two recent surveys show the confusion, especially when compared with other data.

American adults say on average they now need $1.46 million to retire, according to the Northwestern Northwestern Mutual 2024 Planning & Progress Study. That’s 15% higher than a year earlier and a 50% increase since 2020.

The increase is significantly more than the roughly 5% annual inflation during that period.

In another survey, about 49% of workers said they needed more than $1 million, according to the 2024 Retirement Confidence Survey from EBRI. Of the total workers responding, 21% said they needed $2 million or more.

These surveys point to a significant retirement crisis in the making, because the Northwestern Mutual survey found the average worker has less than $100,000 saved for retirement.

But other information tells a different story.

In the EBRI survey, of those already retired 33% said they needed less than $500,000 to support their spending. Only 41% said they needed $1 million to $2 million. And only 12% said they needed more than $2 million.

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Retirees also reported needing considerably less money than in the two surveys of pre-retirees, according to the Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking by the Federal Reserve.

In that survey many who reported “doing OK” or “living comfortably” in retirement had less than $250,000 in savings.

One reason for the discrepancy between retirees and pre-retirees could be that most pre-retirees have no idea how much money they’re spending now and how much their planned retirement lifestyle would cost.

Most pre-retirees also don’t realize that data show most retirees reduce their spending (after adjusting for inflation) as they age. Most financial plans, however, assume spending steadily increases with the inflation rate each year.

Another possibility is that pre-retirees underestimate how much they’ll receive from Social Security and many probably assume they’ll receive little or nothing from the program.

Student loans plus rising housing costs and the recent stickiness of inflation probably scare a lot of people into overestimating their retirement spending needs.

The key first step to any retirement plan is to make a careful estimate the current cost of your planned retirement lifestyle. Don’t rely on guesswork or a guesstimate.

The record of current retirees indicates that the vast majority of Americans will be secure in retirement if they save steadily, invest reasonably, and make good decisions about Medicare, Social Security, and the other retirement finance issues.

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