How To Create A Survey

What is a Survey?
A survey is a data gathering
device used to gather
information about individuals,
their thoughts, their likes, their
dislikes, etc.
Types of Surveys
A survey can be administered in various ways, such as:
An interviewer asking questions
Questionnaires that participants fill out on their own

Ways to Administer Surveys
Mail
Using the postal service and mailing the
survey to the participants.
Telephone
Calling participants via telephone and
documenting their responses
Online
Using the world wide web and other
resources such as survey monkey.
Interviews (including Home Interviews)
Much like the concept that the US Census
uses where an interviewer collects specific
data.
(Cherry, n.d.)

Advantages & Disadvantages
Advantages
Allow for the collection of large amounts
of data within a short period of time
Typically inexpensive
Are rather quick to create and easy to
conduct
Can be used for the collection of just
about anything from opinions, behaviors
to personal facts
Online surveys have a quicker delivery
and response time
Disadvantages
If not constructed or administered
properly, may not be as effective
Not having the correct questions may
not help the original goal of the survey
You may not have an accurate
representation if participants are
biased
Online surveys may encounter
technical issues
(Cherry, n.d.)

Some Things to
keep in Mind:

Questions that are clear, direct and as
brief as possible, help the survey takers to
understand the question quickly.
Try to ask sensitive questions in alternate
ways (ie: questions regarding age,
lifestyle, or personal habits)
The goal of the survey is to collect data
for whatever your cause may be. Keep
the cause in mind when determining your
questions.

Once you know what type of
information you would like the
gather, it is important that you
come up with clear, neutral,
and specific questions to help
you gather the information
you would like to obtain.
Types of Questions
Question Description
Open-Ended Question
(Subjective)
Questions that allow participants to answer
in their own words.
Close-Ended Question
(Objective)
Questions with set answers that have either a
small or large set of potential choices
(Multiple choice)
Matrix & Rating Question Questions used to rate (ie: agree or
disagree)
Ranked Questions Questions with choices that should be
ranked according to levels (ie: levels of
importance, significance, etc.)
Composition Question Questions used to assess complex
knowledge, higher-order skills and creativity.
Sequence of Questions
Question Description
Opening Questions Easy questions that keep participants
calm about taking the survey and build
up their confidence in the survey.
Question Flow Designing the layout of the questions
based on the subject or content area,
and keeping all questions in that area
related to the main subject.
Location of Sensitive Questions Where you insert your sensitive questions
((ie: questions regarding age, lifestyle, or
personal habits) could determine the
willingness to continue the survey. To
early may cause participants to exit out
early, while placing them in the tail end
may have already gained their
confidence in the survey.

Results and Data Collection
It is important to let your participants know
what the data will be used for and how it
will be safeguarded.
Try to minimize the amount of personal
information you collect. Collect only what
is necessary and try not to ask for extremely
personal or sensitive information.
If using an online survey method, use a
method such as SurveyMonkey that has SSL
encryption.
(Suttle, n.d.)

Feedback


Feedback determines if everyone is
pleased or where changes are
necessary if any. As a provider, you
want to know if your clients are
happy, and as a client, you want to
know that your provider is taking her
opinions and/or concerns into
consideration to achieve excellent
results.

Feedback
Once results are collected, it is important to document
feedback. Feedback is essential when implementing
changes. As the provider of the survey (thus the provider
of a service), it may be beneficial to post or otherwise
share the results of the survey with clients and survey takers
so that they can see why certain changes were
implemented if any. This also shows the survey takers that
their opinions matter and they did not simply waste their
time completing a survey. This may help to establish their
faith and trust on future surveys.
References
Cherry, K. (n.d.). What is a Survey? Retrieved March 02, 2014, from About.Com Psychology:
http://psychology.about.com
Horton, W. (2012). E-Learning by Design (2nd ed.). San Francisco, California: Wiley.
Suttle, R. (n.d.). The Importance of Customer Feedback. Retrieved March 02, 2014, from
Small Business-Demand Media: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-customer-
feedback-2089.html