Archive for the ‘Data Collection’ Category
Thursday, December 23rd, 2010
Good data from a survey requires, among other things, thoughtful feedback from respondents. Low-quality data most often comes not from fraudulent or lazy respondents, but from well-meaning survey takers who are bored or irritated with surveys that are not user-friendly.
In this article we focus not on the unengaged respondents who may be offering up poor-quality data (which is usually our own fault) but instead ask what we can learn from survey takers who say they loved a particular survey. Why do they love good surveys, and what about them do they love? (more…)
Tags: best practices, Data Collection, data quality, Market Research, Online Surveys, Survey Design, survey respondents
Posted in Data Collection, Online Surveys, Survey Design, Survey Tips | No Comments »
Friday, December 10th, 2010
The idea of sampling is not hard to grasp, but methodological discussions about sampling can quickly move into the higher reaches of mathematics and probability that confuse even researchers who are not statisticians. Ever wonder what we are talking about when we refer to “probability samples?” Or the rationale for not reporting margins of error? Or why there is no such thing as a “statistically significant sample size?”
AAPOR and the ASA are offering a great way for non-statisticians to learn more about sampling. AAPOR is the American Association of Public Opinion Research, and the ASA is the American Statistical Association. In February they are hosting an introductory webinar on sampling for non-statisticians that that we recommend. It is being taught by a senior statistician at NORC, and will cover such topics as: (more…)
Tags: census, Sampling
Posted in Data Collection, Methods & Tools, Public Polls, Public Relations, Sampling | No Comments »
Friday, December 3rd, 2010
Surveys matter only if people are willing to fill them out – and getting people to fill them out is not an easy task. There are many interesting distractions in the world! And there many silly surveys and junk surveys competing for people’s attention. When the time comes that you need important feedback via a survey, getting a sufficient response rate can be challenging.
Though relatively low response rates can yield statistically sound data (see our article, Do Response Rates Really Matter?) you need to have some data to work with. One organization we recently advised found itself with just two respondents for a do-it-yourself survey they launched, and unfortunately they lost the opportunity to go back into the field for another shot.
Based on our experience and what we have learned from the ever-evolving scientific literature on survey methods, here are three important steps you can take to improve your survey response rates: (more…)
Tags: Data Collection, response rates, survey, survey respondents
Posted in Data Collection, Market Research, Survey Tips | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010
Survey respondents and other participants in our research studies are the lifeblood of the polling and market research industry. Therefore it is critical that we promote and nurture public participation in research, and that we reward, respect, and thank our respondents.
So whatever you do, please don’t take Dogbert’s approach to conducting a survey:
Versta Research believes strongly in protecting the privacy of all research respondents. We adhere to the strictest standards of ethics and privacy as outlined by The Council of American Survey Research Organizations (CASRO), the American Association of Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), and other industry organizations to which we belong. The following two paragraphs nicely summarize our views and approach: (more…)
Tags: ethics, privacy, survey respondents
Posted in Data Collection, Funnies | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010
Despite having been on the front lines of social research for twenty five years, interviewing respondents personally and eliciting data through surveys, I still feel somewhat surprised and disbelieving that people really want to participate in research. But they do. Sometimes eagerly. Almost always truthfully. Surely, my surprise stems from my own reluctance to fill out surveys.
It turns out that I may just lack the survey-taking gene. No joke. New research of genetic and fraternal twins shows that our willingness to participate in research is shaped in part by our genes. The research was led by Lori Foster Thompson, an associate professor of psychology at North Carolina State University, and is soon to be published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior. As reported on Science Daily: (more…)
Tags: bias, Sampling, survey respondents
Posted in Data Collection, Market Research, Sampling | No Comments »
Friday, September 17th, 2010
In an op-ed column two days ago, Stuart Rothenberg, a prominent political (and non-partisan) commentator argued that partisan pollsters (those who work directly for either Democratic or Republican candidates) do a better job than presumably objective third party pollsters. Why? Because they have to get it right. Their campaign strategies depend on it. Quoting Mr. Rothenberg: (more…)
Tags: data quality, Market Research, media, Online Surveys, Public Polls
Posted in Data Collection, Market Research, Online Surveys, Public Polls | No Comments »
Friday, September 3rd, 2010
We feel strongly that people who give us information through surveys, in-depth interviews, or focus group deserve a promise that this will never happen to them:
One of the tenets of rigorous market research is that respondent confidentiality is key. Why? Primarily because it benefits you as a client. To make smart decisions, you need honest and thoughtful information from your customers and constituents. In most cases, your customers want to give us that information (because they want you to do a better job) as long as it won’t come back to haunt them.
Versta Research adheres to the ethics guidelines for privacy as outlined by CASRO, AAPOR, and other industry organizations to which we belong. The following two paragraphs nicely summarize our views and approach: (more…)
Tags: ethics, privacy, survey respondents
Posted in Data Collection, Funnies | No Comments »
Friday, July 30th, 2010
This past Monday I moderated a panel of thought leaders in market research to ponder the question: “How Will Social Media Change Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty Research?” The event was sponsored by the American Marketing Association, and included participants from GfK, Maritz, MARC, SAS, Market Tools, and Versta Research.
One of the fascinating insights to emerge from our discussion was that social media is not only a new channel of information and data, but that it is fundamentally different from previous channels of data. (more…)
Tags: Market Research, networks, satisfaction research, social media
Posted in Data Collection, Future Trends, Market Research, Methods & Tools, Sampling | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010
The idea that online panel surveys can replace telephone surveys ruffles feathers among my colleagues at the American Association of Public Opinion Research (AAPOR). So what would they think of using Twitter posts as a substitute for phone surveys?
The idea seems crazy, but as reported in Science, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have found that certain kinds of twitter data can give them a good read on public sentiment. (more…)
Tags: phone surveys, public opinion, Public Polls, Sampling, social media
Posted in Data Collection, Future Trends, Market Research, Methods & Tools, Public Polls | No Comments »
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010
In the old days (decades ago), phone surveys had limited utility because many people had no phone service in their homes. When that changed, phone surveys became ubiquitous because they allowed researchers better control over the process. Data quality improved. Now increasing numbers of people have moved to cell phones only, which has been a significant challenge for the survey industry. The numbers are staggering:
The number of people without home access to landline telephones is increasing.
Almost half of adults under age 30 live in a household with only wireless telephone service.
(more…)
Tags: mobile surveys, phone surveys, Public Polls
Posted in Data Collection, Future Trends, Methods & Tools, Public Polls | No Comments »