| Determine Your Data | | | | residents is first established for the area to be |
| The first thing you must determine is what kind | | | | surveyed - this can be purchased or built. A good |
| of data you are trying to collect and to what | | | | Mail Survey will then use a series of mailings to |
| purpose the data will serve. Typically, surveys are | | | | contact, survey, and return the necessary data |
| conducted to address a specific problem: lack of | | | | to the survey company. Potential problems for |
| school attendance, drunk drivers, fixing the town | | | | conducting a Mail Survey: lost-in-the-mail surveys, |
| clock, constructing a nearby highway, safety | | | | undeliverable mail, and potential for incorrect |
| concerns at the local park, etc. After you have | | | | subject providing data (a teenager jokingly fills out |
| determined the general theme of your survey, | | | | and returns a survey intended to collect data |
| you must speculate as to what type of results | | | | from a senior citizen). |
| you may acquire, and what exactly you will do | | | | Online surveys are the latest form of survey |
| with the information. Without knowing these two | | | | methods. Internet surveys can accomplish in a |
| parameters, it would be impossible to move | | | | matter of days what would normally require |
| forward with survey creation. | | | | weeks or even months for a traditional survey |
| Determine What Type of Survey System You | | | | method to accomplish. There are many online |
| Will Use | | | | survey companies who can readily provide an |
| Now that you know exactly what type of | | | | audience for practically any type of survey you |
| information you are attempting to acquire, you | | | | wish to conduct. Potential problems with online |
| must decide on a survey method: | | | | surveys: potential error for incorrect subject |
| Face-to-Face interviews are no longer the primary | | | | providing data, survey fraud, and lack of interest |
| choice of survey companies and for good reason: | | | | in the survey itself - subjects may be completing |
| they are expensive. If you choose this method of | | | | surveys strictly for monetary gain and have no |
| survey delivery, you must solve these potential | | | | real interest in the survey's general theme. |
| problems: finding good interviewers, educating | | | | Formulate the Questions |
| your interviewers in all aspects of the survey and | | | | Now that you know what type of data you are |
| the community being surveyed, hiring a | | | | seeking and what method of surveying you are |
| supervisor, establishing the geographic area to be | | | | going to use, its time to write the survey |
| surveyed, creating a game plan or 'survey route', | | | | questions. |
| be prepared for follow-up interviews in case the | | | | Questions should be asked in a clear, unbiased |
| subject is unavailable, and troubleshooting potential | | | | manner. They should not formulate an opinion |
| questions that interviewees might have during the | | | | within the question itself, and they should have a |
| face-to-face interview. The above list of potential | | | | distinct choice for an answer that clearly allows |
| problems is by no means complete. You must | | | | the subject to choose between beliefs, ideas, or |
| carefully design and construct a face-to-face | | | | opinions; the interviewee must know exactly |
| interview because it is such a costly mechanism | | | | which choice they are making when they answer |
| for collecting data; you must do your best to | | | | a question. |
| perform the survey right the first time. | | | | Put the Survey In Motion |
| Telephone surveys are a much cheaper method | | | | At this stage, you will have a complete survey in |
| of survey. You can choose to purchase a list of | | | | hand. Now it's time to create a game plan. You will |
| phone numbers for a general area or you can | | | | need to develop a realistic schedule for: |
| work within a specific area code and use RDD | | | | Interviewing Subjects (or delivering the survey) |
| (random digit dialing). RDD solves the problem of | | | | Performing Callbacks (or rescheduling an interview) |
| unlisted numbers because it targets all phone | | | | Collecting the Data |
| numbers within a specific area code and prefix | | | | Organizing the Data |
| range. To properly conduct telephone surveys, | | | | Preparing an in-depth report on the data collected |
| interviewers will need to be well-versed with the | | | | Each stage represents its own problems, and |
| survey material and the community being | | | | must be thoroughly thought-out before you |
| surveyed. Potential problems with telephone | | | | actually begin the survey process. |
| surveys: interviewers rephrasing or failing to | | | | By following the above guideline, you should be |
| properly convey the survey question, unlisted | | | | able to formulate and deliver your own survey. If |
| phone numbers, call backs or having to reschedule. | | | | the survey to be conducted is extensive, it is |
| Performing a Mail Survey is perhaps the least | | | | recommended that you hire a company to assist |
| costly of the survey methods. Generally, a list of | | | | you in developing and implementing your survey. |