Survey methods
There is no one ideal survey methodology.
It very much depends on the objectives of the research,
the statistical reliability required, the location of
respondents and, not least, the budget available. Each
of the methods described below has its pros and cons.
Internet
surveys
An increasingly viable survey method, particularly
with Citizens' Panel research or groups of customers
where a high proportion of members have provided their
e-mail addresses and the representativeness of the
sample can therefore be verified.
Internet surveys are extremely cost effective as
there are no interviewer costs and no data entry costs
- respondents fill in a form on line then submit it
back to us and it is then imported directly into the
analysis software. Regular updates can be provided
on response rates and data patterns so that appropriate
reminders can be sent and specific groups targeted
to ensure reliable response rates are achieved.
Care needs to be taken when planning this type of
survey as parts of the population may not have access
to the Internet and this may bias the results.
We have conducted such surveys very successfully
amongst employees of organisations as well as amongst
residents of local authority areas as a supplement
to other survey methodologies.
E-mail surveys
E-mail offers an increasingly viable survey method,
particularly with Citizens' Panel research, where
a high proportion of members have provided their e-mail
addresses and the representativeness of the sample
can therefore be verified. The e-mail can either include
a questionnaire for completion or a dedicated url
link to a specific web address where the questionnaire
can be completed and submitted.
One disadvantage can be the lengthy response time
where some people may access their e-mails infrequently
Face to face
Face-to-face Interviews are carried out in the street,
on trains, on buses, in shopping precincts, at exhibitions,
at major events or on doorsteps or in-home. This style
of interviewing enables respondents to be easily matched
to sampling quota - for example socio-economic group,
age, gender or ethnicity. These are important considerations
when seeking to include responses from hard-to-reach
groups to match local demographics.
Face-to-face interviews are ideal where stimulus
material such as photographs, illustrations or packaging
need to be shown to respondents during the interview.
Qualitative in-depth personal interviews are also
carried out, typically with senior executives and
opinion formers, to explore issues and attitudes to
specific topics. They allow the interview to drill
down and explore in depth issues which might be a
major concern of the client.
Telephone interviewing
Using a central telephone interviewing facility provides
an economic and rapid research technique. It is suitable
for shorter interviews and for those occasions where
visual stimulus and prompts such as maps and illustrations
are not required.
Sampling can be random or from selected populations,
such as housing development residents or from a client's
own customer database.
Postal surveys
Postal surveys are an economic method of offering
a large population the opportunity to respond to
a survey. Our experience of questionnaire design
and our follow-up methodology ensures a consistently
high rate of response. In a recent survey a response
rate of 75% was achieved although this should be
considered exceptional.
It is also a very effective way of conducting
customer satisfaction surveys.
Focus groups
We develop advertising and promotion strategies to
help you meet your company's development and profitability
targets. We research the right promotional channel
to make sure you can communicate effectively with
customers and potential customers. We consider all
opportunities from 'glossy' adverts to state of the
art Internet promotion.
Topics covered have varied from leisure, cultural
and transport strategies and attitudes to adult learning
to communication and staff development.
Focus groups can often be used to provide local
authorities with clear evidence of public consultation
required by central government.
Qualitative research using focus groups is often
used as a pre-quantitative research stage to identify
and explore issues which are then included in the
main quantitative survey.
Citizens'
panel
Projects to set up, manage and operate Citizens'
Panels have been undertaken to help local authorities
meet the requirements for local consultation. The
panel database is held and managed by Marketing Assistance
Ltd, with regular refreshing of the panel to prevent
respondent fatigue. Surveys have been conducted using
postal, telephone and e-mail interviews and members
have been recruited to take part in focus groups.
Market studies
Gathering information from published sources to produce
market forecasts based upon expert opinion. Market
surveys using on-line databases, the Internet and
other published sources of information to map market
structures and assess market size and trends. We recently
completed a survey which reviewed the UK Market for
solid state relays. It was completed in two days.
