survey to research methods unit 1

why conduct a survey?

to investigate something, retrieve data to analyze, to be able to ask questions and get those answers to the question

probability sampling

an unbiased sample where precision can be estimated

standardized measurement

comparable (consistent) information collected across all respondents that can be used to make statistical inferences

elements

the people, things, places, or events that social scientists are interested in studying (units of analysis)

population

the total set of elements

what is a survey?

a systematic method for gathering information from a sample of entities for the purpose of constructing quantitative descriptors of the attributes of the larger population of which the entities are members

what is survey methodology?

the study of survey methods or the study of the sources of error in surveys

characteristics of surveys

• information gathered by asking respondents questions

• information is collected by having interviewers ask questions and record answers OR by having respondents hear/read questions and record their own answers

• information is collected from only a subset of the population (a sample) rather than the entire population

what are the different types of surveys

• cross-sectional

• longitudinal

• panel studies

cross-sectional

a type of survey that is conducted at one point in time and is unable to measure over-time change

longitudinal

a type of survey that measures aggregated level of change; interview people with questions at different points in time

panel studies

a type of interview in which you interview the same people with the same question at different points in time (the same sample essentiallly); can be used to make causal claims

how do election surveys differ from other surveys?

election poll is trying to make a prediction of the future, which other surveys do not necessarily do because it is hard

can surveys change behavior?

some people have hard-headed mindset vs some people who aren’t secure with their position and decide to choose what the majority would choose