Social Surveys and their Question Structure

Question 1

Define ‘social surveys’.

Answer 1

The systematic collection of data from a sample of people to represent a wider population via questionnaires or interviews.

Question 2

Identify the 3 possible aims of social surveys.

Answer 2

1) To gain factual information
2) To understand people’s attitudes and opinions
3) To test theories and provide explanations

Question 3

What are the 2 types of social survey?

Answer 3

1) Cross-sectional

2) Longitudinal

Question 4

Define ‘cross-sectional surveys’.

Answer 4

Provides information about one particular period of time.

Question 5

Define ‘longitudinal surveys’.

Answer 5

Information gathered over a longer period of time that allows for changes in behaviour or attitude to be traced .

Question 6

Define ‘pilot study’.

Answer 6

A preliminary, small-scale study that is conducted in order to help a researcher decide how best to carry out a large-scale research project.

Question 7

What 4 main things do pilot studies test for?

Answer 7

1) Usefulness of information gathered from large-scale study
2) Quality/accuracy of research
3) Accuracy of representativeness of sample
4) Unforeseen problems

Question 8

What 3 issues might arise in conducting a pilot study?

Answer 8

1) Funding
2) Can’t guarantee info
3) Inaccurate predictions such as predicting there to be no harm in small-scale study and then there is in large-scale

Question 9

Define ‘response rate’.

Answer 9

The number of people who answered the survey divided by the number of people in the sample.

Question 10

Why might an individual not respond to a survey?

Answer 10

They may not want to or don’t have the time.

Question 11

Suggest a way in which you could increase the response rate of a survey.

Answer 11

Bribing ppts with a reward, such as entering a prize draw of a £500 gift voucher.

Question 12

What is the problem with a low response rate?

Answer 12

A once representative sample will decrease in representativeness because there is a lower amount to generalise to the wider population.

Question 13

Why is it important that results of surveys are representative?

Answer 13

If they are not then the results may be discredited because there are not enough people to represent the wider population.

Question 14

Why is it important that a concept such as ‘ill health’ is operationalised in a question?

Answer 14

Because the ppt may not understand what the question is asking exactly and so specifying what ill health means increases validity of answers.

Question 15

Define ‘leading questions’.

Answer 15

A question that prompts or encourages a specific answer.

Question 16

Give an example of a leading question.

Answer 16

“Don’t you agree that living a healthy lifestyle is important?”

Question 17

Suggest a problem of leading questions.

Answer 17

The question encourages the respondent to answer in a particular way and so a survey on student satisfaction at a college may use leading questions (with the inclusion of acquiescence bias) to get students to answer in ways that shows they have high satisfaction.

Question 18

Define ‘ambiguous questions’.

Answer 18

A question in which the meaning is unclear due to its cryptic/vague wording.

Question 19

Give an example of an ambiguous question.

Answer 19

“How good is your health?”

Question 20

Suggest a problem of ambiguous questions.

Answer 20

Due to its unspecific nature the question can be interpreted in different ways and so reliability can be reduced because all respondents may not have understood and so it is hard to compare results due to those different interpretations.

Question 21

Define ‘recall questions’.

Answer 21

A question that asks respondents to recall the past.

Question 22

Give an example of a recall question.

Answer 22

“In the last 5 years, how many instances of poor health have you experienced?”

Question 23

Suggest a problem of recall questions.

Answer 23

Respondents may misremember events leading to an under/overestimation and so reducing the validity of their answers.

Question 24

Define ‘closed questions’.

Answer 24

A question that has a predetermined answer that produces quantitative data.

Question 25

Give an example of a close question.

Answer 25

“What is 2+2?”

Question 26

Evaluate the reliability of closed questions.

Answer 26

P - High
E - Same predetermined answers for every respondent
E - Easy to make comparisons between quantitative data

Question 27

Evaluate the validity of closed questions.

Answer 27

P - Low
E - Deciding the answers for respondents restricts what they can say
E - Doesn’t allow the depth for what their true opinion may be

Question 28

Evaluate the representativeness of closed questions.

Answer 28

P - High
E - Results are easy to compare
E - Easily generalisable

Question 29

Give 2 strengths of closed questions.

Answer 29

1) More likely to be answered

2) No researcher bias due to objectivity

Question 30

Give 2 weaknesses of closed questions.

Answer 30

1) Restricts what people can say

2) Respondent may not agree with the answers available

Question 31

Define ‘open questions’.

Answer 31

A question that has no set answer and is open to many responses that produces qualitative data.

Question 32

Give an example of an open question.

Answer 32

“What is the meaning of life?”

Question 33

Evaluate the reliability of open questions.

Answer 33

P - Low
E - Unlikely to get the same answers
E - Hard to compare

Question 34

Evaluate the validity of open questions.

Answer 34

P - High
E - Qualitative data is gathered
E - Allows for an in-depth analysis of respondents attitudes and opinions

Question 35

Evaluate the representativeness of open questions.

Answer 35

P - Low
E - Less easy to make comparisons
E - Can’t be seen in a generalisable way if not everyone gave the same response

Question 36

Give 2 strengths of open questions.

Answer 36

1) Allows of detail

2) Answers are more truthful as none are predetermined

Question 37

Give 2 weaknesses of open questions.

Answer 37

1) People are less likely to fill it in because it may take longer
2) Analysis of answers are open to subjectivity by researcher