Online Survey Glossary
Term |
Definition |
See related topics: |
|
Behavior associated with respondent attitudes. Personal interview surveys are best for observing these types of behaviors, which typically include non-verbal expression. |
||
|
Objects within a survey question. Example: Do you think teachers should have more contact with parents? The attitudinal object is "parents" |
||
|
A measurement or calculation used as a basis for comparison against survey results. |
||
|
A type of closed-ended question that allows respondents to place themselves into exactly one category. Eases data analysis according to specific demographic attributes. |
||
|
CATI is an acronym that stands for computer-assisted telephone interviewing. Used in telephone surveys, this system allows for automation of participant responses as they move through the survey (e.g., skip a question), and rapid data analysis. |
||
|
A type of survey question that has a finite set of answers predetermined by the researcher from which the respondent chooses. Easy to standardize; lend themselves to statistical analysis. |
Multiple-choice question, categorical question, likert-scale question, numerical question, ordinal question, open-ended question |
|
|
A type of research that is performed to "confirm" an assumption or theory. Involves testing against a hypothesis or specific assumptions. |
Exploratory research, closed-ended question, open-ended question |
|
|
A type of question that asks for level of respondent agreement with a statement, typically using the word "not". Example: Teachers should not be required to supervise students during recess. If respondent disagrees = do not think teachers should not supervise students — in other words, they should supervise students. |
||
|
A type of question that asks about more than one issue in a single question. This may result in inaccuracies in the attitudes being measured for the question. |
||
|
Categories are exhaustive when there is a category available to all potential respondents. |
Mutually exclusive categories, categorical question, closed-ended question |
|
|
A type of research that is performed to "explore" survey participant response to the survey topic. Exploratory research is typically performed when the researcher does not have a hypothesis or does not have specific assumptions concerning the survey problem. |
||
|
A type of bias that results when person being interviewed may not like the interviewer for various reasons. This most often occurs in personal interview surveys. |
||
|
A type of question that is phrased in such a way that suggests to the respondent that the researcher expects a certain answer (i.e., it "leads" the respondent). |
||
|
A type of closed-ended question that allows respondents to indicate how closely their feelings match the question or statement on a rating scale. Good for measuring the degree of respondents' feelings or attitudes about something. |
||
|
A type of question that contains "loaded words." |
||
|
A word that carries unintented connotations. Example: Politicians avoid the use of the loaded word "environmentalist" because it may carry negative connotations for some people, regardless of the content of the statement. |
||
|
A type of survey methodology used to deliver data results of the survey. Advantages include: use for social research, low interviewer bias. |
||
|
A type of closed-ended question that allows respondents to pick the best possible answer (as it pertains to their opinion) from among all possible options. Good for "profiling" respondents. |
||
|
Categories are mutually exclusive when there is no overlap. |
||
|
This type of sample results when the respondents from the location where the interviewing takes place does not match the desired target population. |
||
|
A type of closed-ended question that allows respondents to pick a number. Example: What is your current age? |
||
|
A type of survey question to which there is not one definite answer. Allows respondents to answer in their own words. Used in exploratory research. |
||
|
A type of closed-ended question that allows respondents to rank order their answers to a question. Good for determining priorities; preferences of respondents. |
||
|
A type of survey methodology used to deliver data results of the survey. Advantages include: use to measure attitudinal behavior, longer interviews tolerated. |
||
|
To ask clarifying and in-depth questions of the respondent concerning survey responses. |
||
|
A method by which the researcher categorizes respondents based on their survey responses. |
||
|
A type of research relying primarily on the collection of qualitative data (i.e., non-numerical data such as words and pictures) |
||
|
A type of research relying primarily on the collection of quantitative data (i.e., numerical data) |
||
|
A person who is providing responses to your survey. |
||
|
A tendency for a respondent to answer a series of question in a certain direction regardless of their content. |
||
|
A sub-group of selected respondents derived from your target population. |
||
|
This type of bias may result if you limit your sample to only respondents within a certain demographic group, e.g., highly educated. If your survey goal is to measure the opinions of the general population, this could bias your sample. |
||
|
Syn. Target Population |
||
|
This type of research is often conducted when you need to measure widespread opinions of the general population. |
||
|
The specific goals or objectives associated with your survey problem. Example: Our goal is to measure consumer interest in our new product. |
||
|
The type of delivery method associated with your survey, e.g., Web survey, telephone survey, mail survey, personal interview survey. |
Web survey, telephone survey, mail survey, personal interview survey |
|
|
The specific problem you want to address by administering a survey. Example: We do not currently know whether consumers are interested in our new product. |
||
|
Software that is developed for Web survey and telephone survey methodologies. These types of software provide automation of data gathering, and significantly ease statistical analysis efforts. |
||
|
The entire group of possible respondents to your survey question. Since it is improbable you will survey every individual in your target population, you must survey a smaller sub-group of your population, known as a sample. |
||
|
A type of survey methodology used to deliver data results of the survey. Advantages include: broad reach to potential respondents, interviewers can ask clarifying questions. |
||
|
Syn. A sample of respondents. |
||
|
A type of survey methodology used to deliver data results of the survey. Advantages include rapid response rate, very inexpensive, and increased respondent flexibility. |
Survey software, telephone survey, mail survey, personal interview survey |