Chapter 6The Survey Interview

Copyright © 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill/Irwin

6-2

Chapter Summary

•Purpose and Research•Structuring the Interview•Survey Questions•Selecting Interviewees•Selecting and Training Interviewers•Conducting Survey Interviews•Coding, Tabulation, and Analysis•The Respondent in Survey Interviews•Summary

6-3

Purpose and Research

•Determining Purpose▫What types of information do you need?▫How soon must you complete the survey

and compile the results?▫How much time will you have for each

interview?▫How will you use the information obtained?▫What are your short- and long-range goals?▫What are your resources?

6-4

Purpose and Research

•Conducting Research▫Don’t assume adequate knowledge of a

topic.▫Don’t waste time learning what you already

know.

6-5

Structuring the Interview

•Interview Guide and Schedule▫A detailed guide is easily transformed into

a scheduled format.▫Standardization is essential for surveys.

6-6

Structuring the Interview

•The Opening▫There are no ice-breaker questions or small

talk in surveys.▫Surveys must be structured so that each

interviewee goes through an identical interview process.

▫Write out the opening and require each interviewer to recite it verbatim.

6-7

Structuring the Interview

•The Closing▫The closing is usually brief and expresses

appreciation for the time and effort expended by the interviewee.

▫Do not get defensive or bad-mouth the survey.

6-8

Survey Questions

•Planning Survey Questions

• Interviewers cannot make on-the-spot adjustments.

6-9

Survey Questions

•Phrasing Questions▫Every word in every question may influence

results.▫Adapt phrasing to all members of a target

population.▫Be wary of negatively phrased questions.

6-10

Survey Questions

•Sample Question Development▫Keep recording of answers in mind when

phrasing questions.▫Build in secondary questions for reasons,

knowledge level, and qualifiers.

6-11

Survey Questions

•Question Strategies▫Filter Strategy▫Repeat Strategy▫Leaning Question Strategy▫Shuffle Strategy▫Chain or Contingency Strategy

6-12

Survey Questions

•Question Scales▫Interval Scales

Evaluative Frequency Numerical

▫Nominal Scales▫Ordinal Scales▫Bogardus Social Distance Scale

6-13

Survey Questions

•Question Sequences

•Question sequences complement question strategies.

6-14

Selecting Interviewees

•Defining the Population▫ Sampling Principles

A population is the targeted group of respondents.

A sample is a miniature version of the whole. Margin of error determines the worth of a

survey. A sample is the actual number of persons

interviewed.

6-15

Selecting Interviewees

•Sampling Techniques▫Random Sampling▫Table of Random Numbers▫Skip Interval or Random Digit▫Stratified Random Sample▫Sample Point▫Self-Selection

6-16

Selecting and Training Interviewers•Number Needed

▫You will most often need several interviewers.

▫Overburdening interviewers will damage the quality of interviews and the data received.

6-17

Selecting and Training Interviewers•Qualifications

▫Interviewers must follow the rules.▫If a survey requires probing and adaptation

to different interviewees, professionally trained interviewers tend to be more efficient.

6-18

Selecting and Training Interviewers•Personal Characteristics

▫Interviewer Credibility ▫Interviewee Skepticism▫Similarity of Interviewer and Interviewee

6-19

Selecting and Training Interviewers•Training Interviewers

▫Preparing for an Interview▫Conducting the Interview▫Opening the Interview▫Asking Questions▫Receiving and Recording Answers▫Closing the Interview

6-20

Conducting Survey Interviews

•Pretesting the Interview▫Lack of pretesting invites disaster.▫Leave nothing unquestioned.

6-21

Conducting Survey Interviews• Interviewing Face-to-Face

▫ The interviewer can establish credibility through physical appearance, dress, voice, eye contact, and presentation of credentials.

▫ Respondents will take part in longer interviews.▫ Interviewers can ask more complex questions on complex issues.▫ Interviewers can focus on in-depth attitudes and information by

probing into answers.▫ Respondents are more likely to provide self-generated answers.▫ Respondents may provide more accurate answers because of the

“naturalness” of the interview.▫ Interviewers can observe attitudes and reactions through face,

eye contact, gestures, and posture.▫ Interviewers can interview specific respondents, in specific

places, and at specific times.▫ Interviewers can reach and obtain respondents from

“marginalized populations.

6-22

Conducting Survey Interviews• Interviewing by Telephone

▫ Telephone interviews are less expensive and provide faster results, literally overnight in many instances.

▫ There are fewer interviewer effects, including interviewer bias.

▫ Respondents provide fewer socially acceptable answers.▫ There is increased interviewer uniformity in manner,

delivery, and standardization of the interview.▫ Interviewers feel safer on the telephone than venturing

into dangerous neighborhoods, particularly at night.▫ Respondents prefer the anonymity of the telephone

when answering controversial and personal questions.▫ Respondents prefer the safety of the telephone that does

not require them to admit strangers to their homes or places of business.

6-23

Conducting Survey Interviews

•Interviewing Through the Internet▫ Advantages

High response rate Easier to establish credibility Longer interviews are tolerated Able to target specific audiences

▫ Disadvantages Costly Time-consuming Representativeness not guaranteed

6-24

Conducting Survey Interviews• Interviewing Through the Internet

▫Advantages Less expensive Faster Target audiences can be narrowly defined More honest answers More detailed answers

▫ Disadvantages Limited nonverbal information Reduced response rates Interactional spontaneity lost Possible sample problems

6-25

Coding, Tabulation, and Analysis•Coding and Tabulation

▫Begin the final phase of the survey by coding all answers that were not pre-coded, usually the open-ended questions.

▫Record answers to open-ended questions with great care.

6-26

Coding, Tabulation, and Analysis•Analysis

▫Analysis is making sense of your data.▫Know the limitations of your survey.▫Be careful in using survey results.

6-27

The Respondent in Survey Interviews•The Opening

•Understand what a survey is all about before participating.

6-28

The Respondent in Survey Interviews•The Question Phase

▫Listen perceptively.▫Think before answering.

6-29

Summary

•The survey interview is the most meticulously planned and executed of interviews.

•The purpose of the survey interview is to establish a solid basis of fact from which to draw conclusions.

•Survey respondents must determine the nature of the survey and its purposes before taking part.