Types of surveys: merits and demerits of different methods of surveys

A variety of questionnaires are the most common methods of obtaining initial information on a certain direction. The main types of the survey are characterized by the speed of obtaining results, efficiency, simplicity. These parameters have made such studies popular among politicians, entrepreneurs, school teachers. To obtain reliable results of the questionnaire, the types of questions in the survey are selected taking into account the age of the respondents and the level of their education.

Forms of holding

Depending on the functions assigned to the survey, it can be carried out in two versions:

• interview;
• Questioning.

Features of the poll

The sociological survey is a variant of the primary sociological information. Its main types are based on the indirect or direct connection between the respondent and the researcher. The purpose of such an interrelation will be to receive from the respondent specific data in the form of answers to the questions posed.

The essence of the methodology consists in communicating directly or indirectly through an annoter with a group of people (respondents). Almost all types of opinion polls suggest a question-answer dialogue. The specificity of such communication lies in the fact that it not only has to clearly correspond to the algorithm, but also take into account that ordinary people who answer questions using their worldly experience will act as participants. Types of sociological survey are selected depending on the objectives of the study, the requirements for reliability and reliability of the information studied, organizational and economic opportunities.

Significance of sociological research

Such a survey plays a special role in various sociological studies. Its main purpose is to obtain sociological information about the state of collective, personal, public opinion, as well as facts, assessments, events directly related to the activities of respondents. Scientists are convinced that almost 90 percent of important empirical information comes as a result of sociological research. Different types of surveys are recognized as the leading method for conducting research on the consciousness of people. They are especially important for the analysis of social processes, as well as those phenomena that are inaccessible to simple observation.

Classification of contacts with respondents

At present, it is customary to subdivide the types of surveys into several main groups:

• Personal interviews (face-to-face surveys);
• Apartment (conducted at the place of direct residence of respondents);
• Street (conducted on the streets, shopping centers);
• Option with a central location (hall-test).

Remote polls

They suggest receiving information by remote means. There is a definite classification of survey data:

• Internet surveys;
• Telephone conversations;
• Self-filled questionnaires.

Let's analyze features of remote forms: a telephone conversation and an Internet poll.

Telephone Survey

Such types of surveys are indispensable in those situations in which installation studies are carried out. Also, similar options are used for territories that are substantially remote from each other. How is telephone research conducted? To begin with, it will be necessary to create the maximum possible base of candidate telephone numbers for respondents. Then, randomly, several numbers are selected from the established telephone database, which will become direct participants in this study.

Advantages of this poll option:

• Speed of execution;
• Low cost of research;
• Use of a fairly large area in the survey;
• The possibility of involving different groups of respondents in research;
• No problems with quality control of interviewers.

Among the main shortcomings of telephone research, we note the significant limitations of the duration of the interview. In addition, this option is not always possible, since in many localities of Russia there are problems with telephone lines. If you analyze modern types of polls, then the most operational will be the telephone option. It provides an opportunity to identify the opinions of different population groups on all issues. There is a subdivision of such variants of the survey according to the type of respondents used: interviews with legal entities, a survey of individuals.

In the telephone interview, there are certain stages:

• Developing questionnaires;
• Creation of a sample.

Depending on the purpose of the survey, the sample can be targeted, when the subscribers are selected according to certain criteria: age, position occupied. Such types of citizens survey are carried out by trained interviewers. They listen to the answers of the subscriber, put them in a special electronic or printed questionnaire. Further processing of questionnaires, creation of tables, construction of graphs and diagrams is carried out. The specialists carry out analytical processing of the received data, provide the customer with a report. In it, all respondents' answers are distributed according to certain groups, the tables are accompanied by the main conclusions. The result will be telephone interviews in those localities in which more than 75 percent of the population is telephoned. Otherwise, it will be difficult to talk about the reliability of the information that will be obtained as a result of the questionnaire.

Why do telephone surveys?

These types of questionnaires are intended to identify the attitude of the population towards certain brands, goods, companies. A telephone survey provides an opportunity to receive timely information about how the market and consumers react to the actions of competitive companies. Such a study guarantees, without significant financial costs, to carry out market analysis before the beginning, as well as after the completion of advertising campaigns, to identify the effectiveness of the conducted activities.

As a result of the telephone questionnaire, it is impossible to collect the deep material, since there are limitations in the degree of complexity of the questions and the time of the conversation. Such a study is not suitable for studying the company's income, analyzing the work of the management team.

Internet Survey

Let's analyze different types of Internet polls, which allow you to collect sociological information on specific facts, events online.

Given the multi-million army of Internet users, this type of research is quite effective and yields good results. As the main advantages of such a survey, we note its efficiency. There are some drawbacks to this testing, which should also be mentioned. The results are affected by the attendance of those sites on the basis of which the survey is conducted. It is difficult for developers to control the actions of the respondent, so the results are very doubtful.

By the end of the last century, the World Wide Web began to be used by many sociologists to carry out serious research on topical issues. Information can be obtained from all countries of the world and even from different continents. Thanks to Internet technologies, the collection of initial information for research of various social processes is accelerating. IT allows you to conduct expert surveys, personal interviews, virtual focus groups. In our country, sociological surveys conducted via the Internet are still considered rare. In European countries, such questionnaires are conducted much more frequently, replacing them with an oral survey. Types of oral interviews, used in a routine interview, do not allow you to get the desired results in a short period of time. Network research has certain advantages in comparison with traditional forms.

Advantages of Internet Surveys

Such studies provide an opportunity to save material and human resources, as well as time, receiving high-quality data. The decisive factor is precisely the saving of resources in the implementation of the Internet questionnaire. Traditional forms do not attract respondents, as they have to break away from current activities. If the questionnaire is presented on several pages, not all people have enough patience to finish it. The minus of the paper questionnaire is that it does not allow the respondent to evaluate the intermediate test results.

Internet tests provide individual feedback after the completion of the questionnaire, encouraging the respondent to participate systematically in such surveys. The interviewed users of the Network have a positive attitude to such studies, a desire arises to attract friends and colleagues to them. Scientists also highlight the environmental validity of Internet surveys. When interviewing a person is in the usual comfortable conditions for him. You can go through the survey at any convenient time, so there is no desire to get rid of the questionnaire as soon as possible. The methodology of such a study assumes a visual direct contact between the respondent and the sociologist. As a result, a communicative situation is created in which there is no psychological discomfort. The absence of coercion, restraint, embarrassment, nervousness, characteristic of the classical survey, guarantees frank and complete answers to the questions proposed in the questionnaires.

The problems associated with the use of alcohol, drugs, suicide, it is difficult to identify by conventional surveys, as many see it as an attempt to intrude into a frequent life. Traditional methods do not guarantee the respondents' anonymity; therefore, the Internet copes with the problem of openness. Unlike paper interviewing, electronic surveys have detailed and detailed answers. This technique opens up new horizons for empirical sociology. There are also certain technical and methodological problems in using the Internet questionnaire.

First of all, we should note the limited number of people who have free access to the Internet. In addition, the types of survey questionnaires have a specific framework on the subject matter and are not suitable for carrying out global research. Among technical problems, we note the limited nature of the proposed options for answers. When the respondent enters his own version, it is difficult to process the results of the questionnaire. There are problems with the software, perhaps a significant distortion of the results. Some respondents answer the same questionnaire several times, especially if the survey involves material remuneration. As a result, the objectivity of the results is reduced, one can not speak about their reliability.

Comparison of telephone survey and Internet survey

Comparing these types of survey methods, sociologists give preference to Internet technologies. Telephone interviews are often accompanied by a rejection by potential respondents. Approximately 10-15 percent agree to take part in the research, the rest of the people just hang up. There is no interest in the polls, as the interviewed people have no material interest. The Internet survey faces technical problems, it is not available for villages remote from communications.

Polls in schools

The most common types of interviews in the class are: front-line, individual. Let us analyze the distinctive features of each variant of testing the theoretical knowledge and practical skills of students used by educators of educational institutions. A front-line interview is suitable for quick check of homework. For example, the teacher can ask the children questions, including the whole class. These types of interviews in the lesson allow the teacher to assess the students' knowledge and practical skills in a short period of time.

For the lessons of chemistry and physics, the thematic dictations are suitable. Teacher offers questions, answers to which will be formulas or units of measurement of physical (chemical) quantities. The dictation can also be verified frontally, calling to the blackboard "along the chain" of each class member. This survey will take a few minutes, while it will assess almost all students in the class. Teachers of humanitarian disciplines (history, social studies, Russian language, literature) prefer individual surveys. Of course, questionnaires are used in their work not only by teachers, but also by the students themselves. Being engaged in extracurricular activities, working on their own research, the project, the guys apply different types of interviews, types of interviews. First, the teacher explains to the child the specifics of the questioning, and only after that the young sociologist starts his own research.

Among the nuances that it is important to pay attention to when preparing for sociological surveys, one can single out their complete anonymity. For example, a child by questionnaire finds out which shampoos are preferred by his classmates, teachers, parents. Further, the young scientist conducts his own research in the chemical laboratory, armed with scientific methods, he finds out the effectiveness of this product. At the next stage of the work, he compares the results of the survey with the results of the experiment, compares them.

In a modern school, polls have become a familiar phenomenon, without them there is not a single event. For example, to assess the degree of comfort in the classroom, the psychologist offers the children to answer the questions of the questionnaire. Then the results are processed, the psychological state of the team is analyzed. When a teacher passes qualification tests, a questionnaire is also provided for parents, pupils, and colleagues for work. The received results are made out in the form of a graph or diagram, are attached to the expert conclusion about the teacher's compliance with the declared category. Among the latest innovations used in the training process, it is possible to note the final tests for graduates of primary and secondary schools, offered in the form of tests.

Conclusion

Currently, in all spheres of human activity, various types of survey methods are used: telephone interviews, Internet surveys, frontal conversations. Depending on the purpose, the optimal form, type and duration of the questionnaire are selected. Synthesis of interviewing and questioning is a telephone survey. It is mainly used during advertising and election campaigns. Polls are used by science to solve practical problems. Statisticians have long used these methods to collect information on labor resources, structure, family expenses.

Journalists use this technique to determine the rating of broadcasts, publications. TV journalists do not choose respondents according to certain criteria, therefore the results of the research are significantly distorted. Teachers apply survey of pupils as a variant of control of acquired knowledge, verification of homework. Doctors carry out a survey of primary patients, finding out the information about the existing diseases. Asked questions should take into account the psychological characteristics of the respondents, the situation that developed before the conversation. Thinking over the poll, the sociologist chooses one of the options: questioning or interview. Given that the interview can be individual and group, its form is pre-selected.

A common form of questioning is the distribution of questionnaires to respondents. Such a survey can be conducted at the place of residence, work of the respondents. Thus, the assessment of the quality and efficiency of the work of the communal services assumes polls of tenants. The questionnaire implies a certain set of questions, each of which reflects specific research tasks. The questionnaire has an introductory part, it contains a reference to the respondent, explains the purpose and objectives of the survey, a brief description of the expected results, their benefits. Also the questionnaire should indicate the degree of anonymity of the conducted survey.

In order for the questionnaire to be complete, it must have a detailed instruction on the completion, title, place and year of publication.

Full-fledged socio-statistical diagnostics makes it possible to obtain information about various social and economic transformations, the activities of municipal and state government bodies, the impact of television and radio on young people.