Saturday, 14 April 2012

Surveys




Surveys
Surveys are a great way of getting a wide range of data form a number of sources. As there is a lot of data it is vital to be able to group the data to secure accurate findings, i.e. age or gender. It is one of the easiest forms of research as it can be done quickly and in their own time. However, whether these surveys are done online or by hand out can affect the results as to whether you get all the responses back or as to whether they have access to the internet.
Closed questions can give you a quicker idea of the data you have collected but can doesn’t give you the full opinion of the person doing the survey.
When sending out a survey by email or post it is vital to accompany it with a cover letter that states the research purposes of the survey, and that all information is protected under the data protect act 1998. It gives the reader an understanding of what they are answering question on.
You only have a limited number of questions so it is vital to make sure each question is valid. if the gender in important, you have to ask it, but if location doesn’t matter then do not ask the question. I think with questionnaires they need to be quick and easy to fill out and easily accessible. Once all the data is gathered, the process of summarising and grouping of the results starts.  


From doing a survey, I have noticed that it is difficult to get a fair result as not everyone you ask does the survey, therefore I had more women than men taking the survey. However, I had the most responses from doing a survey as it was quick an easy for others to fill out. It is also online which means that is open to a variety of different people and more accessible. I will definitely be using a survey in my Inquiry as it has given me results quickly. However, it can be less knowledgeable as you don’t get the persons full opinion and passion, you just get a snapshot view.
I completely agree with Jess Hay’s break down of a survey and it is very quantitative and is limited and is difficult to go into depth about the chosen subject.
Here is my survey again for anyone to fill out

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