Steps in Conducting Survey

step 1: Define the population and sample
Before you start conducting survey research, you should already have a clear research
question that defines what you want to find out. Based on this question, you need to
determine exactly who you will target to participate in the survey.
Populations
The target population is the specific group of people that you want to find out about.
This group can be very broad or relatively narrow. For example:
 The population of Brazil

 US college students
 Second-generation immigrants in the Netherlands
 Customers of a specific company aged 18-24
 British transgender women over the age of 50
Your survey should aim to produce results that can be generalized to the whole
population. That means you need to carefully define exactly who you want to draw
conclusions about.
Samples
It’s rarely possible to survey the entire population of your research – it would be very
difficult to get a response from every person in Brazil or every college student in the US.
Instead, you will usually survey a sample from the population.
The sample size depends on how big the population is. You can use an online sample
calculator to work out how many responses you need.
There are many sampling methods that allow you to generalize to broad populations. In

general, though, the sample should aim to be representative of the population as a
whole. The larger and more representative your sample, the more valid your
conclusions. Again, beware of various types of sampling bias as you design your
sample, particularly self-selection bias, nonresponse bias, undercoverage bias,
and survivorship bias.
Step 2: Decide on the type of survey

There are two main types of survey:
 A questionnaire, where a list of questions is distributed by mail, online or in

person, and respondents fill it out themselves.
 An interview, where the researcher asks a set of questions by phone or in
person and records the responses.
Which type you choose depends on the sample size and location, as well as the focus
of the research.
Questionnaires
 Mail

 Online

 In-person
Sending out a paper survey by mail is a common method of gathering demographic

information (for example, in a government census of the population).
 You can easily access a large sample.

 You have some control over who is included in the sample (e.g. residents of a
specific region).
 The response rate is often low, and at risk for biases like self-selection bias.
Interviews
Oral interviews are a useful method for smaller sample sizes. They allow you to gather
more in-depth information on people’s opinions and preferences. You can conduct
interviews by phone or in person.
 You have personal contact with respondents, so you know exactly who will be
included in the sample in advance.
 You can clarify questions and ask for follow-up information when necessary.
 The lack of anonymity may cause respondents to answer less honestly, and
there is more risk of researcher bias.
Like questionnaires, interviews can be used to collect quantitative data: the researcher
records each response as a category or rating and statistically analyzes the results. But
they are more commonly used to collect qualitative data: the interviewees’ full
responses are transcribed and analyzed individually to gain a richer understanding of
their opinions and feelings.
Step 3: Design the survey questions

Next, you need to decide which questions you will ask and how you will ask them. It’s
important to consider:
 The type of questions

 The content of the questions
 The phrasing of the questions
 The ordering and layout of the survey
Open-ended vs closed-ended questions
There are two main forms of survey questions: open-ended and closed-ended. Many
surveys use a combination of both.
Closed-ended questions give the respondent a predetermined set of answers to choose

from. A closed-ended question can include:
 A binary answer (e.g. yes/no or agree/disagree)

 A scale (e.g. a Likert scale with five points ranging from strongly
agree to strongly disagree)
 A list of options with a single answer possible (e.g. age categories)
 A list of options with multiple answers possible (e.g. leisure interests)
Closed-ended questions are best for quantitative research. They provide you with
numerical data that can be statistically analyzed to find patterns, trends,
and correlations.
Open-ended questions are best for qualitative research. This type of question has no
predetermined answers to choose from. Instead, the respondent answers in their own
words.
Open questions are most common in interviews, but you can also use them in
questionnaires. They are often useful as follow-up questions to ask for more detailed
explanations of responses to the closed questions.
The content of the survey questions

To ensure the validity and reliability of your results, you need to carefully consider each
question in the survey. All questions should be narrowly focused with enough context
for the respondent to answer accurately. Avoid questions that are not directly relevant to
the survey’s purpose.
When constructing closed-ended questions, ensure that the options cover all
possibilities. If you include a list of options that isn’t exhaustive, you can add an “other”
field.
Phrasing the survey questions

In terms of language, the survey questions should be as clear and precise as possible.
Tailor the questions to your target population, keeping in mind their level of knowledge
of the topic. Avoid jargon or industry-specific terminology.
Ordering the survey questions

The questions should be arranged in a logical order. Start with easy, non-sensitive,
closed-ended questions that will encourage the respondent to continue.
If the survey covers several different topics or themes, group together related questions.
You can divide a questionnaire into sections to help respondents understand what is
being asked in each part.
If a question refers back to or depends on the answer to a previous question, they

should be placed directly next to one another.
Step 4: Distribute the survey and collect responses

Before you start, create a clear plan for where, when, how, and with whom you will
conduct the survey. Determine in advance how many responses you require and how
you will gain access to the sample.
When you are satisfied that you have created a strong research design suitable for
answering your research questions, you can conduct the survey through your method of
choice – by mail, online, or in person.
Step 5: Analyze the survey results

There are many methods of analyzing the results of your survey. First you have to
process the data, usually with the help of a computer program to sort all the responses.
You should also clean the data by removing incomplete or incorrectly completed
responses.
If you asked open-ended questions, you will have to code the responses by assigning
labels to each response and organizing them into categories or themes. You can also
use more qualitative methods, such as thematic analysis, which is especially suitable for
analyzing interviews.
Statistical analysis is usually conducted using programs like SPSS or Stata. The same
set of survey data can be subject to many analyses.
Step 6: Write up the survey results

Finally, when you have collected and analyzed all the necessary data, you will write it
up as part of your thesis, dissertation, or research paper.
In the methodology section, you describe exactly how you conducted the survey. You
should explain the types of questions you used, the sampling method, when and where
the survey took place, and the response rate. You can include the full questionnaire as
an appendix and refer to it in the text if relevant.
Then introduce the analysis by describing how you prepared the data and the statistical
methods you used to analyze it. In the results section, you summarize the key results
from your analysis.
In the discussion and conclusion, you give your explanations and interpretations of
these results, answer your research question, and reflect on the implications and
limitations of the research.

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step 1: Define the population and sample

 The population of Brazil

There are many sampling methods that allow you to generalize to broad populations. In

Step 2: Decide on the type of survey

 A questionnaire, where a list of questions is distributed by mail, online or in

Sending out a paper survey by mail is a common method of gathering demographic

 You can easily access a large sample.

Step 3: Design the survey questions

 The type of questions

Closed-ended questions give the respondent a predetermined set of answers to choose

 A binary answer (e.g. yes/no or agree/disagree)

The content of the survey questions

Phrasing the survey questions

Ordering the survey questions

If a question refers back to or depends on the answer to a previous question, they

Step 4: Distribute the survey and collect responses

Step 5: Analyze the survey results

Step 6: Write up the survey results

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