Social Survey

Research Methods
Prof. Dr. Ainul Jaria Maidin

Nature of Survey

Survey: A technique in which information is

collected systematically about a set of cases such as
people, organizations and objects.
Objective: To prepare a data set from which
conclusions can be drawn.
Survey involves asking questions, orally or in writing
through:
Face-to-face conversation, telephone interview,

questionnaire

Researcher (asks questions) Respondent (answers)

Record only what people say about what they do,
not what they actually do. Thomas Sullivan

Methods of Data Collection in Survey

1.
.
.
.

2.
.
.
.

Interview
Interviewer reading questions to respondents and
recording their answers
Personal interview is popular: people are more willing to
speak in face-to-face situation
Telephone interview: time and cost efficient
Questionnaire
Written questions that people respond, without the aid of
an interviewer
Can be handed directly, a group at the same time, sent via
e-mail/internet
Administered to a selected group of respondents

Use of Sampling in
Surveys

Why sampling?
Impossible to question ALL

Sample must be drawn on the basis of

certain precise rules so that it reproduces,
on a small scale, the characteristics of the
entire population under study
Sample must represent the population
The result from sample may be
generalized to the whole population

Categories of Questions
1.

Sociographic Characteristics
Know the background of respondents
. Gender, age, education residence etc.

2.

Attitudes
To ascertain opinions, motivation, orientation, feelings,

evaluations, perceptions or values

Most difficult task because attitudes are:
. Complex, varied from one to another, and respondents may not
have definite view
3.

Behavior
The researcher records what the respondent says he does or

has done

When to Use a Survey

Methods in Research?
1.
2.

3.

When variables can be accurately measured

by peoples response to questions
When data is to be collected from large
number of people or those widely dispersed
geographically
Research aims at any of the four goals:

Description
Explanation
Prediction
Evaluation

Internet Resources
available for Survey
Research
The Odum Institute for Research in Social
Science (IRSS): http://www.irss.unc.edu
The General Social Survey:
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/gss/
The Centre for Applied Social Surveys in
England: http://www.scpr.ac.uk/cass/
The Survey Research Center at Princeton
University:
http://www.princeton.edu/~ab-elson/inde
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