Example of Survey Method

nor unhappy, and per cent each fell in the last two categories, more or less unhappy, and extremely unhappy. The second question (Can you buy happiness with money?) had three alternatives (Yes, No, Don’t know). About per cent people expressed that money can’t buy happiness. Another question tried to know “what gives them maximum happiness?” More than per cent respondents reported that peace of mind ( per cent) and health ( per cent) gave them maximum happiness.

This was followed by responses such as success in work ( per cent), and family ( per cent). Another question asked was to know ‘what do they do when they feel unhappy or sad?” It was reported that per cent people opted for listening to music, per cent found respite in the company of friends, and per cent went for a movie. other, in which one person (generally called interviewer) asks the questions and the other person (called interviewee or respondent) answers the questions related to a problem. An interview is a purposeful activity conducted to derive factual information, opinions and attitudes, and reasons for particular behaviour, etc.

from the respondents. It is generally conducted face-to-face but sometimes it can also take place over the phone. There can be two broad types of interviews: structured or standardised , and unstructured or non-standardised . This distinction is based upon the type of preparation we make before conducting the interview.

As we have to ask questions during the interview, it is required that we prepare a list of questions before-hand. The list is called an interview schedule. A structured interview is one where the questions in the schedule are written clearly in a particular sequence. The interviewer has little or no liberty to make changes in the wordings of the questions or the order in which they are to be asked.

The responses to these questions are also, in some cases, specified in advance. These are called close-ended questions. In contrast, in an unstructured interview the interviewer has the flexibility to take decisions about the questions to be asked, the wording of the questions, and the sequence in which questions are to be asked. Since responses are not specified in such type of interviews, the respondent can answer the questions in the way s/he chooses to.

Such questions are called open-ended questions. For example, if the researcher wants to know about the happiness level of a person, s/he may ask: How happy are you? The respondent may reply to this question the way s/he chooses to answer. An interview may have the following combinations of participants in an interview situation: (a) Individual to Individual : It is a situation where one interviewer interviews another person.

(b) Individual to Group : In this situation, one interviewer interviews a group of persons. One variant of it is called a Focus Group Discussion (FGD). (c) Group to Individuals : It is a situation where one group of interviewers interview one person. You may experience this type of situation when you appear for a job interview.

(d) Group to Group : It is a situation where one group of interviewers interview another group of interviewees. Interviewing is a skill which requires proper training. A good interviewer knows how to make the respondent at ease and get the optimal answer. S/he remains sensitive to the way a person responds and, if needed, probes for more information.

If the respondent gives vague answers, the interviewer may try to get specific and concrete answers. The interview method helps in obtaining in-depth information. It is flexible and adaptable to individual situations, and can often be used when no other method is possible or adequate. It can be used even with children, and non-literate persons.

An interviewer can know whether the respondent understands the questions, and can repeat or paraphrase questions. However, interviews require time. Often getting information from one person may take an hour or more which may not be cost-effective. Questionnaire Survey The questionnaire is the most common, simple, versatile, and low-cost self-report method of collecting information.

It consists of a predetermined set of questions. The respondent has to read the questions and mark the answers on paper rather than respond verbally to the interviewer. They are in some ways like highly structured interviews. Questionnaires can be distributed to a group of persons at a time who write down their answers to the questions and return to the researcher or can be sent through mail.

Generally, two types of questions are used in the questionnaire: open-ended and closed- ended. With open-ended questions, the respondent is free to write whatever answer s/he considers appropriate. In the closed- ended type, the questions and their probable answers are given and the respondent is required to select the correct answer. Examples of closed-ended questions require