what is a survey
A survey is a research method used to collect data from a pre-defined group of respondents to obtain information and views on various topics of interest. they can have multiple purposes and can be done in many ways by researchers depending on the methodology chosen and the objective of the study. In the year 2020, research is of the utmost importance and therefore it is essential for us to understand the benefits of social research for a target population using the right survey tool.
The data is generally obtained through the use of standardized procedures to ensure that each respondent can answer the questions on equal terms to avoid biased opinions that may influence the outcome of the research or study. The process involves asking people for information through a questionnaire, which can be online or offline. however, with the arrival of new technologies, it is common to distribute them through digital media such as social networks, email, qr codes or urls.
what is an online survey?
An online survey is a set of structured questions that the respondent completes over the internet, usually by filling out a form. it is a more natural way to reach respondents, as it is less time consuming than the traditional way of collecting information through one-on-one interaction and is less expensive. the data is collected and stored in a database, which is then evaluated by an expert in the field.
As an incentive for respondents to participate in this type of online research, companies offer rewards such as gift cards, reward points that can then be redeemed for goods or services, free airline miles, gas station discounts, etc. Rewarded research studies are a win-win situation for both companies and respondents. companies or organizations obtain valuable data from a controlled environment for market research.
what are the advantages of an online survey?
- Accuracy: In an online research study, the margin of error is low as respondents enter their responses using simple radio buttons. traditional methods require human intervention, and according to one study, human intervention increases the margin of error by 10%.
- easy and fast to analyze: since all responses are recorded online, it is easy to analyze the data in real time. it is also ready to draw inferences and share the result.
- ease of participation: in this new age technology oriented universe, most people on this planet have Internet access. . respondents prefer to receive the survey by email. the ease of participation is dramatically increased as respondents can choose a suitable time and place, at their convenience, to record their answers.
- great branding exercise: in a design in online, organizations or businesses have this opportunity to develop their questionnaire to align it with their brand. Using logos and similar brand language (color and fonts) gives companies an advantage as respondents can better connect with the brand.
- Respondents can be honest and flexible at the same time: According to one study, researchers have found greater respondent engagement when online surveys are implemented instead of answering lengthy questions. By designing questionnaires that ask relevant questions, respondents are honest with their answers and can skip questions or send respondents to a more neutral option, increasing their flexibility in responding.
- templates Survey Templates: Major online research tools have expertly designed survey templates that make it easy for researchers to choose and conduct their research study. These templates are vetted questionnaires and are specific to each industry, making surveying even more efficient.
good survey templates and examples
A researcher needs to conduct surveys using the right questions and the right means of managing and tracking responses. questionpro is a platform that helps to create and implement different types and sets of quizzes, polls and quizzes.
We have over 350 varieties of survey templates. including:
- customer satisfaction survey (csat) + net promoter score (nps): we hear this over and over again that the customer is king, which is true. A satisfied customer is a customer who helps your brand and organization grow, through direct means, as well as being an advocate for your brand. This template talks about the goodwill your brand has created and how referable it is.
- Employee Satisfaction Template: This template is perfect for organizations that want to measure the satisfaction levels of their employees. this template will give you insight into your organization’s culture and the job satisfaction of planning your workforce within that culture.
- b2b templates: business-to-business templates are efficient ways to gather feedback on entities that contribute directly to your business. These can include vendors, customers, their experiences, etc.
- Company Communications Assessment Template: This example is essential for analyzing the employee perspective on the topic of internal company communications , topics to cover in the newsletter, updates on the bulletin board, the efficiency of managing an organization in the conversation, etc.
- hardware product evaluation template: improve features of hardware products is not an easy proposition because many elements such as raw materials, supply chain, and manufacturing lines are affected by it. therefore, when obtaining feedback for hardware, it is essential to be as objective as possible. it helps us understand the type of product innovations needed.
- Strategic Planning Survey: Innovation methodology is essential for any organization’s product or service lines. therefore, implementing customer support and making adjustments to products or services when necessary is necessary for the sustenance and growth of an organization. This template helps organizations map out their business strategy.
- Business Demographic Survey: This template aims to ask demographic questions and examples to help gain insights into occupation, main business area, function and job description, the organization’s gross income, etc.
- Course Evaluation Survey: This template helps educational institutions regularly provide feedback on their course and whether students find it useful or no, if it is challenging enough and students see this as good value for money coupled with enhanced learning.
how to create a survey with a good design?
As explained above, a survey generally begins when a person, company or organization is faced with a need for information and there is not enough data. keep in mind the following recommendations:
- define objective: the survey would not make sense if the objective and the result had not been planned before implementing it. the survey method and plan should be in the form of actionable milestones as well as the planned sample for the research. appropriate distribution methods for these samples should also be implemented from the beginning.
- the number of questions: the number of questions used in a market research study depends on the objective end of investigation. it is essential to avoid redundant queries in every possible way. the length of the questionnaire should be dictated only by the core data metrics that need to be collected.
- plain language: one factor that can cause a high survey dropout rate is if the respondent finds the language difficult to understand. therefore, it is imperative to use easily understandable text in the survey.
- types of questions: There are several types of questions that can be included in a survey. It is essential to use the types of questions that offer the most research value and are the easiest for a respondent to understand and answer. Using closed-ended questions like Net Promoter Score (NPS) questions or multiple choice questions helps increase survey response rate.
- Consistent scales: If you use rating scale questions, make sure the scales are consistent throughout the research study. using scales of -5 to +5 on one question and -3 to +3 on another question can confuse the respondent.
- survey logic: the logic is one of the most critical aspects of survey design. if the logic is faulty, respondents will not be able to continue further or in the desired way. logic must be applied and tested to ensure that when you select an option, only the next logical question appears.
characteristics of a survey
1. sample and sample determination
First, you need a sample, also known as an audience, which should consist of a data set of respondents with the required demographics, who can relevantly answer the survey questions and provide the best information. the better the quality of your audience, the better the quality of your response and insights.
The characteristics of a survey sample are:
- sample size determination: once you have determined your sample, the total number of individuals in that particular sample is the sample size. Selecting a sample size depends on the ultimate goal of your research study. it should consist of a series of data from the respondents with the required demographic characteristics, who can respond in a relevant way to the survey questions and provide the best information.
- types of sampling: there are two essential types of sampling methods; They are probability sampling and non-probability sampling. the two standard sampling methods are:
- probability sampling: probability sampling is a sampling method in which the respondent is selected based on probability theory. the main characteristic of this method is that each individual in a population has an equal chance of being selected.
- non-probability sampling: non-probability sampling is a sampling method where the the researcher selects a sample of respondents based solely on their discretion or instinct. there is no predefined selection method.
2. survey questions: how to ask the right questions?
Useful questions are the cornerstone of the success of any survey, and subsequently any research study.
The characteristics of the survey questions are as follows:
- data collection: Whether it’s an email, sms, web interception, or mobile app survey, the one common denominator determines how effectively you can collect accurate and complete answers is your survey questions and their types.
- Fundamental Levels of Measurement Scales: Four measurement scales are crucial to creating a multiple choice question in a poll. they are nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio measurement scales without the foundations of which multiple-choice questions cannot be created. therefore, understanding these levels of measurement is essential to creating a robust research framework.
- Use of different question types: Multiple-choice questions are the most common type of survey questions, in which some of the popular question types are: dichotomous question, semantic differential scale questions, rank order questions, and rating scale questions. open-ended questions help collect detailed qualitative data.
- administer the survey: planning the type of survey is essential to ensure the optimal number of responses required for your study . it could be a combination of interviews and questions or a questionnaire. interviews can be phone interviews, face-to-face interviews, online interviews, and questionnaires can be personal interviews or web surveys.
3. survey logic: skip and branch logic
Logic is one of the essential characteristics of a survey. the goal of using logic in a study is to move a respondent based on their current selection to a question. poll skip logic and branching provide the ability to create “smart” polls, meaning respondents can answer relevant questions based on their responses to screening questions. features include:
- Design: In this phase, users design their logic and configure it so that questions that are irrelevant to each respondent do not appear as part of the survey.
- application: The poll logic can be applied using conditional branching or unconditional branching. Other parameters that form the basis of a logic depending on the objective of the study are the channeling of data, the randomization of questions, the share of links, etc.
4. survey methods
Survey methodology studies the in-depth sampling of individual units of a population and the administration of data collection techniques on that sample. includes instruments or processes that ask different types of questions to a predefined sample, to collect data and increase the response rate of the survey.
The two distinctive types of members are professionals in the field who focus on empirical survey errors and others who work to design surveys and reduce them. An administrator’s main tasks when implementing a survey are to identify and create samples, validate test questions, select the mode for administering questions, and verify data collection methods, statistical analysis, and data reporting.
design-based survey methods
research studies are of the following types:
- cross-sectional studies: the cross-sectional study is a type of observational research that analyzes data of variables collected at a given time in a population sample. population or a predefined subset. this type of study is also known as a cross-sectional analysis, cross-sectional study, or prevalence study. data collected in a cross-sectional study are from people who are similar on all variables except the one being studied. this variable remains constant throughout the cross-sectional study.
- longitudinal studies: the longitudinal study is an observational study that uses continuous or repeated measures to follow particular individuals over a long period of time , often years. or decades. Longitudinal research collects data that is either qualitative or quantitative. In a longitudinal study, respondents are observed over a period, ranging from months to decades, to observe any changes in themselves or their attitudes. For example, a researcher wants to find out what disease affects young children (in the age group of 10 to 15 years). the researcher will then observe the individuals during that period to collect meaningful data.
- correlational studies: the correlational study is a type of non-experimental research design where two variables are studied different. statistical analysis helps to examine the relationship between them without the interference of external “variables”. This study aims to understand the change and the level of change in one of the two variables in the study if the other variable changes. For example, if an ice cream truck has a loud jingle, people begin to understand which ice cream truck is in the neighborhood and how far it is from the person’s location.
distribution-based survey methods
There are different ways of distributing surveys. Some of the most used methods are:
- Email: Sending an email is the easiest way to conduct a survey. Respondents are targeted and there is a higher probability of response because respondents already know your brand. you can use questionpro’s email management feature to send and collect responses.
- Buy Respondents: Buying a sample helps achieve many of the response criteria because people at those who are asked to answer have registered to do so. qualifying criteria for research study are met.
- Website Embedding: Embedding a survey on a site ensures that the number of responses is very high. the insertion of a survey can be done while the person enters the website or leaves it. A non-intrusive method of collecting feedback is essential to achieving a higher number of responses. responses received are also honest due to superior brand recall value, and responses are quickly collected and analyzed due to being in digital format.
- post to social: posting on social media is another effective way to get responses. the survey is published as a link on social networks, and the people who follow the brand can be the set of audiences or respondents. there is no maximum limit on the number of survey responses required and it is the easiest and fastest way to get responses.
- qr code: questionpro’s qr codes store the survey url. you can print/post this code on magazines, signs, business cards or just about any object/media. users with a camera phone equipped with the read right app can scan the qr code image to open the survey in the phone’s browser.
- questionpro app: the app questionpro enables the circulation of surveys quickly, and answers can be collected both online and offline.
- api: You can use the questionpro platform api integration so that potential respondents take your survey.
- Sms: Using SMS surveys is another quick way to collect feedback. this method can be used for quick answers and when the survey is simple, direct and not too long. this method is used to increase the open and response rate of the comment collection.
distribution allows one or a combination of the above methods to be used, depending on the purpose of the research and the resources used for a particular survey. Many factors play a role in how surveys are distributed, such as cost, type of research study, flexibility of questions, time to collect responses, statistical analysis to be performed on the data, and layout. of the respondent to participate in the study.
You can conduct a phone or email survey and then select respondents for a face-to-face interview. Survey data is also sometimes obtained through questionnaires that are completed by respondents in groups, for example, a school class or a group of shoppers in a mall.
You can also classify them by their content, using open or closed questions to find out, for example, opinions, attitudes, details of a fact, habits, experiences for later classification and analysis of the results obtained.
In the same way, you can use some sample survey questions; ask for the classification of the different alternatives. it can be a concise survey with items that may take five minutes or less to answer, or it can be a very long survey that requires an hour or more of the respondent’s time. For example, those who need to know in depth people’s behaviors or attitudes prefer to use, in addition to surveys, a panel, or an online community.
5. survey data collection