Advances in telephone survey methodology (original) (raw)
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Moving Survey Methodology Forward in Our Rapidly Changing World: A Commentary
2016
Survey methodology now faces an unprecedented challenge for how to collect information from samples of people that will provide scientifically defensible estimates of the characteristics of the population they represent. Many decades of research have shown that in order for such estimates to be made with known precision four major sources of error-coverage, sampling, measurement and nonresponse-must be controlled (Groves, 1989). Subsequent research has produced a great amount of knowledge on how those sample estimates are affected by different survey modes, sample sources, sample sizes, the failure of certain types of people to respond to survey requests, and how questions are structured and worded.Today's challenge stems from many considerations. Response rates for some survey modes, especially voice telephone in national surveys, have fallen precipitously and are not expected to recover (Dillman, Forthcoming). In addition, RDD landline surveys miss nearly half of all household...
The State of Survey Methodology
Field Methods, 2014
In this overview, we discuss the current state of survey methodology in a form that is useful and informative to a general social science audience. The article covers existing challenges, dilemmas, and opportunities for survey researchers and social scientists. We draw on the most current research to articulate our points; however, we also speculate on both technological and cultural changes that currently influence or may soon affect the efficacy of different methodological choices.
Communications of the Association …, 2002
Web surveys potentially cost less to administer and are more convenient for participants than either telephone or paper-based surveys, but concern remains about the representativeness of the respondents to the population. This research investigates the effectiveness of using Webbased survey methods by comparing response rates and demographic characteristics of the telephone-based and web-based survey respondents. The paper first reviews survey research methodologies, including recent trends in web-based surveys that take advantage of the power of modern computing and telecommunications technology. The issue of respondent characteristics in web-based surveys is then explored by comparing respondent demographics of an ongoing telephone survey to those of a subsequent Web survey of the same population. Exploratory and confirmatory statistical analyses are used to triangulate the findings and test the hypotheses. The data suggests that demographics of the respondents of the two methods are similar across race and age, but differ significantly across income and education levels, implying a converging digital divide.
Telephone surveying with computers: Administrative, methodological and research issues
Evaluation and Program Planning, 1986
Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) is a tool designed to assist interviewers in almost every aspect of a telephone survey. This article reviews the current status of CATI with special attention to microcomputer-based systems. Most of the literature in this area has focused on the implementation and design of CA TI systems. This paper takes a broader perspective by examining the adminktrative, methodological and research issues surrounding the use of CATI. The primary conclusion is that CATI systems can aid in the administration of telephone surveys in addition to reducing sources of survey error. However, these systems are neither inavpensive nor easily implemented. Perhaps the greatest potential for CATI is in the area of research, where their structured use can lead us to a better understanding of the survey research process in general.
The quality of survey data: Telephone versus face-to-face interviews
1998
Those designing surveys and producing data have always been concerned about its quality. The increasing stringency of the financial constraints which affect public authorities and the increased scope of involvement in the regulation of urban travel has led us to pay even greater attention to the quality of data. This issue is frequently covered in the literature on survey methods. However, comparisons between different survey methods are more rarely conducted. The decision to conduct such an analysis is partly the result of the development of telephone use to the detriment of other survey modes in many countries and also the development of Computer-Aided Telephone Interviewing (CATI) which facilitates the running and monitoring of the survey.