Surveys are a common way that researchers collect information about their topic. A survey may question a sample of a population (sample survey) or the entire population (census). The purpose of a survey is to collect a large amount of information on the topic in a timely and cost-effective manner. Surveys are useful if the answers the researcher is seeking can be obtained through brief answers to specific questions (Vogt et al., 2012).
The difference between a survey and a questionnaire.
Survey: the process of collecting information using questionnaires
Questionnaire: the list of questions asked to gain information required to answer the research question.
Types of survey approaches
Cross-sectional survey: uses a sample (limited number) of respondents from the population. You will then generalise the results back to the general population.
Descriptive survey: when you want a snapshot of the population by gathering information about demographics, behaviour and attitudes.
Explanatory survey: this is used to determine cause and effect. More detailed than descriptive surveys.
Trend survey: a similar sample are asked the same questions across two different time periods to see if classification of the respondents changes over time.
Panel study: the same sample are asked the same questions across two or more points in time to see if individuals responses change over time (O’Leary, 2021, p. 238)
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Surveys:
(Maudin, 2020).
A questionnaire is a list of questions that the participant reads, interprets, then answers. Questionnaires are most commonly conducted online using websites such as Survey Monkey, which means the researcher has no direct contact with the participant. Because of this lack of direct contact, the questions need to be concise and clear.
Questionnaires are a useful tool for obtaining an overview of the participants understanding, feelings and thoughts about the topic. However, due to the nature of the questions, it may be necessary to conduct interviews or focus groups at a later date if the researcher wants more in-depth information.
This form of information gathering is quick, cost effective and requires less effort than conducting interviews. Questionnaires also provide a level of anonymity and can be sent out to a large number of participants.
Limitations of questionnaires include:
1. only those with the required literacy can participate
2. response rate may be insufficient to develop valid conclusions
3. self-selecting bias - as not everyone invited to participate will return the questionnaire, the opinions of those who do may differ from those who don't return the questionnaire. The results may then be skewed and not truly representative of the entire population.
4. lack of opportunity to clarify issues - participants are unable to ask for clarification of questions particularly when the questionnaire is conducted online with no contact with the researcher.
5. Answers to one question can be affected by other questions.
6. Others can influence the answers - particularly with mailed out or online questionnaires, the answers may be discussed with another party prior to being returned.
7. Generally, answers cannot be expanded on or explained.
(Kumar, 2014, pp. 181-182).
1.Decide on the type of survey that will give you the best information to answer your research question.
2.How will you conduct the survey? Telephone, email, face-to-face, polling software e.g. Survey Monkey?
3.Choose your sample – get to know your population and choose the best sampling tool to get the most reliable, relevant information.
Click on the drop down arrow on the Data Collection tab above to find out more about sampling.
Conducting Research Surveys Via E-mail and the Web by 
Surveys in Social Research by 
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An Introduction to Survey Research by Weaknesses:
(Maudin, 2020).
There are several types of questions that can be used in a questionnaire:
1. Multiple choice
e.g. What is your preferred mode of transport to work?
a) private car
b) public transport
c) walking
d) pushbike or scooter
2. rating scales
e.g. On a scale of 1-10 (one being poor and 10 being excellent), rate the service you received in store.
3. open ended questions
e.g. Explain in your own words why you chose to purchase this product?
4. closed questions
e.g. Would you use our service again?
Be careful using questions that have a yes/no answer as they may not give you sufficient information.
For sensitive questions, always give participants the choice to choose to opt out by including a 'prefer not to answer' option.
Try to keep your questionnaire short. If it takes longer than 5 minutes to complete, you may have a poor response rate.
Questions asking how participants feel about something can use attitudinal or rating scales. These include:
Likert scale: The purpose of this scale is to determine the difference in intensity of each respondents attitude to the topic of the question in relation to other respondents. A limitation of this scale is that it is based on the assumption that all the preferences in the possible answers have equal weight and importance. This scale can have up to three directional categories (positive, neutral or negative and can use categories (e.g. strongly agree, agree, uncertain, disagree, strongly disagree) or numbers (e.g. 1-10).
Thurston scale: This scale also tests participants intensity of attitude to the issue. A panel of judges determines the importance or weight of each statement on an 11 point scale. One problem with this scale is that the participants attitudes may not be fully reflected because the judges may disagree with the participants.
(Kumar, 2014).