Question

In addition to the way we phrase questions, the method of surveying can also introduce bias. What are some potential biases that could occur when using the following survey techniques?

- In-person

- Mail

- Phone

- E-mail

- Text

- Social Media

Please make sure you consider—among other things—how expensive each method is, the outreach potential, response time, and response rate.

Answer 1

1. IN-PERSON

• low nonresponse
• low coverage error
• low rates of incomplete data.
• Low social desirability effects with self-administered sensitive questions as respondents recording answers either on paper or into a laptop computer themselves.
• time consuming,
• relatively long field periods,
• increasing expense due to interviewer time and travel costs

2. E-MAIL

• save costs of interviewer time and travel
• low completion rates
• higher rates of incomplete data on individual items

3. PHONE

• save costs on interviewer travel times
• allow for shorter survey field periods
• provide higher completion rates
• less nonresponse bias
• coverage problems arise due to call screening and cell-phone-only households
• measurement error when respondents provide sensitive information over the telephone, resulting in social desirability bias

4. Social Media and Web

• less expensive
• faster to implement
• coverage and nonresponse error due to less than universal access to the internet.
• less able or willing to complete surveys over the internet.
• Incomplete data due to absence of an interviewer