Question 1

A self-administered survey is ______.

Accepted Answer

A self-administered survey is one in which the respondents themselves administer the survey, such as by filling out and returning a mailed questionnaire.

Question 2

______ type responses generally ask respondents to indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with statements.

Accepted Answer

Likert-type responses use a scale that asks respondents to rate their agreement or disagreement with statements, typically using a five-point or seven-point scale.

Question 3

Fence-sitters are people who ______.

Accepted Answer

Fence-sitters are individuals who do not take any stance or have a neutral opinion on a certain issue.

Question 4

One of the most successful omnibus surveys is the ______.

Accepted Answer

The GSS (General Social Survey) is widely recognized as one of the most successful omnibus surveys. It has been conducted annually or biennially since 1972 and covers a wide range of social and cultural issues in the United States. The other options, NCVS (National Crime Victimization Survey) and NISVS (National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey) focus on specific topics (crime and violence), while the U.S. Census collects demographic data rather than opinions and attitudes.

Question 5

Two matters may undermine the validity of a phone survey: not ______ and not ______.

Accepted Answer

To have a valid phone survey, it is essential to reach the proper sampling units (representative of the population being studied) and to get enough complete responses for analysis. If either of these elements is missing, the validity of the survey may be undermined. The other options do not accurately represent the key factors that affect the validity of a phone survey.

Question 6

______ questions are excellent tools for obtaining respondents' interpretations in greater detail and can often illuminate flaws in other questions.

Accepted Answer

Open-ended questions allow respondents to provide more detailed and personalized answers, which can be useful for gaining insights into their interpretations and identifying potential errors or misunderstandings in other survey questions. Closed-ended questions, on the other hand, limit respondents to a predetermined set of answer options and may not capture the full range of possible interpretations or perspectives. Specific questions are important for focusing respondents' attention on a particular topic, but may not necessarily be the best choice for eliciting detailed explanations or interpretations. Unclear questions are problematic for obvious reasons, as they can confuse and mislead respondents, leading to inaccurate or unreliable survey data.

Question 7

Consider this question: On average, how much time do you spend on the job each week taking care of traffic violations? Less than 1 hour
1-3 hours
3-6 hours
6-10 hours
10 hours or more
Which answer best describes the response categories?

Accepted Answer

The response categories are exhaustive because every possible amount of time spent on the job taking care of traffic violations is covered. However, they are not mutually exclusive since it is possible for someone to spend more than 10 hours on the job, but they would have to choose the "10 hours or more" option.

Question 8

Research has shown that one third of the public will provide an opinion on a proposed law they know nothing about if they are not provided with a ______ response option.

Accepted Answer

Research indicates that when surveys or polls do not include a "don't know" option, a significant portion of respondents will offer an opinion on topics they are unfamiliar with, rather than admitting their lack of knowledge.

Question 9

The difficulty with group-administered surveys is that assembling a group ______.

Accepted Answer

Assembling a group for a survey can be difficult because it requires a captive audience, meaning individuals who are willing and able to participate in the survey at the same time and location. This can be challenging to coordinate, especially with large and diverse groups.

Question 10

What is the foremost reason for the popularity of survey methods?

Accepted Answer

Survey methods are versatile in that they can be used to collect data in various research fields and can be conducted in different forms (e.g., online, phone, mail, in-person). This makes it easier for researchers to reach a wider range of participants and gather relevant data.

Question 11

If financial resources are available, ______ is often the best survey design

Accepted Answer

In-person interviewing is often considered the best survey design when financial resources are available because it allows for more accurate data collection, better response rates, and the ability to clarify questions and probe for more detailed responses.

Question 12

Respondents who choose a substantive answer even when they do not know anything about a particular question are ______.

Accepted Answer

Floaters are respondents who choose an answer to a question even when they don't have knowledge about the topic. They tend to "float" to a substantive answer rather than opting for a "don't know" or skipping the question.

Question 13

When several questions are used to measure one concept, the responses may be combined to take the sum or average of the responses in order to create a(n) ______.

Accepted Answer

When multiple questions are used to measure a concept, researchers create an index by combining the responses. This can be done by taking the sum or average of the responses. An index can provide a more comprehensive and accurate way of measuring a concept than a single question.

Question 14

When respondents are offered explicit responses to choose from, this type of question is referred to as a ______ question.

Accepted Answer

A fixed-choice question offers respondents a specific list of options to choose from, as opposed to an open-ended question which allows free response without pre-set options. A summary question typically summarizes information previously given and asks for confirmation or agreement, while an explicit question is one that is clearly stated and unambiguous.

Question 15

What type of questions is this: "Do you disagree that juveniles should not be tried as adults if they commit murder?"

Accepted Answer

This question contains two negatives ("disagree" and "not"), making it a double-negative question.

Question 16

A survey question used to identify a subset of respondents who then are asked other questions is known as a(n) ______.

Accepted Answer

A filter question is used to identify a subset of respondents who meet certain criteria and are then directed to answer specific questions. This helps to streamline the survey process and ensures that respondents are only answering questions relevant to their experiences or opinions.

Question 17

Generally, research shows that the longer the reference period, the greater the ______.

Accepted Answer

The longer the reference period, the greater the chance of underreporting of a given behavior, as respondents may not accurately remember or recall all instances of the behavior over a longer period of time.

Question 18

When you want respondents to make only one choice, the fixed-response categories must ______.

Accepted Answer

Fixed-response categories that do not overlap ensure that respondents are forced to choose only one option, rather than allowing them to select multiple options or not choose any option at all.

Question 19

CATI is ______.

Accepted Answer

CATI stands for Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview, which is a telephone survey method where the interviewer follows a computerized questionnaire on the screen while the respondent answers the questions over the phone.

Question 20

In practice, survey questions, if misleading or unclear, can result in ______.

Accepted Answer

If survey questions are misleading or unclear, respondents may provide inappropriate or unintended answers, which could distort the results of the survey.

Quiz 7: Survey Research