POLI 1200 Lecture 9: 8-30 week 2
I. Surveys
a. Primary method of assessing public opinion
i. Attempt to infer much about the wider population from a small sample of
respondents
1. Typically N=1000
ii. Closed ended tpyes of questions
1. Sometimes, open ended but limited and rare
b. Multiple modes
i. Phone
1. Most dominant
2. Sureys: phones
a. Advantages
i. Lower cost
ii. Quick
iii. Easy oversight
b. Disadvantage
i. Sample problems
1. Exclude certain populations
a. No phone, cellphone vs landline
2. Self selection problems
ii. Mail
1. Advantages
a. Cost
b. Can ask more complex questions
c. Convenient for respondent
2. Disadvantage
a. May require lots of follow-up
b. Slow
i. Have to recode it once you receive it back
c. Who took the survey?
c. In person Advantages
i. High quality
ii. More in depth questions
1. Aswes the why uestio that ay do’t
iii. Disadvantages
1. Expensive
2. slow
d. Internet
1. Can be very cheap
2. Generalizability problems
3. Advantages
a. Less expensive
b. Quick
c. Allows for more depth
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